Vladimir Putin's telephone conversation with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud focused on the progress toward implementing the agreements reached during the King's recent visit to Russia. In particular, progress in bilateral cooperation was noted in trade, economic and investment matters, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and the defence industry. The importance of further coordination between Russia and Saudi Arabia on the global hydrocarbon markets was underscored.
The on-going exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East region was continued. Given the success in combating terrorist groups in Syria, issues related to the prospects for a long-term settlement of the conflict were considered. The President of Russia noted that the upcoming National Dialogue Conference in Sochi will undoubtedly give an impetus to intra-Syrian contacts and the entire process of resolving the Syrian problem, and will encourage work under the aegis of the UN in Geneva. The hope that the meeting of the Syrian opposition in Riyadh on November 22–24 would serve this purpose was also expressed.
Vladimir Putin informed the King about his earlier meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as the main issues on the agenda of the summit of the Astana peace process guarantor countries – Russia, Iran and Turkey – in Sochi on November 22.
