RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said on Wednesday that the kingdom is ready to cooperate with Russia in the military and nuclear power spheres.
The comment followed a two-day visit this week by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who became the first Russian head of state to visit the kingdom.
“There are no obstacles to cooperation between the two countries in all fields concerning the military and nuclear power,” Saud told reporters.
During his visit, Putin was reported to have offered Russian expertise to the kingdom in the field of nuclear energy.
This came as the six Gulf Arab states, which include Saudi Arabia, are moving ahead with plans to explore development of their first nuclear energy plants – a move seen as a response to Iran’s contentious nuclear program.
Representatives of the region are planning to seek assistance from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog – the Vienna, Austria based International Atomic Energy Agency – later this month, Abdul Rahman al-Attiyah, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said on Sunday.
The GCC first announced its intention to study a peaceful nuclear program in December, but has revealed few details about its plans.
Saud said that Moscow and Riyadh are also engaged in talks about Russia helping with arms to the kingdom, based on Saudi Arabia’s military needs and on the kind of weapons Russia can provide. He did not elaborate.
The United States is the kingdom’s main arms supplier but Moscow represents an option for Saudi Arabia to diversify its weapons sources, as the kingdom opens up to new markets. Russian officials have said their country hopes to win a prospective Saudi order for tanks.
In Riyadh, Putin on Monday said his talks with Saudi officials focused on cooperation, adding that the two nations could expand cooperation into new spheres.
“We can cooperate in other sectors … on a mutually beneficial basis,” Putin had told Russian media. “We could expand such opportunities in the metal industries, nuclear energy, high technology, joint efforts to develop transport infrastructure.”
