Putin, Saudi Arabia’s defence minister to talk Middle East, fight against IS - Kremlin aide

MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s Defence Minister Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud are due to discuss the situation in the Middle Est and the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg economic forum on Thursday, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said. "I may suggest that the discussion will be devoted to the issues linked to the situation in the Middle East, Yemen, Syria and the fight against the IS," Ushakov said. He failed to confirm whether the sides plan to discuss the oil prices at the meeting. Ushakov stressed that Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is responsible for both defence issues and a number of other important areas. A meeting between the co-chairs of the Russian-Saudi Arabia intergovernmental commission, where Moscow will be represented by Energy Minister Alexander Novak, will be held on the sidelines of the forum in Russia’s second largest city. The sides are expected to sign a range of documents, Ushakov said. "We hope that the contacts with Saudi Arabia during the St. Petersburg forum will give a real and practical impetus to the development of cooperation on a whole range of areas," Ushakov stressed. The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2015) will take place on June 18-20. SPIEF gathers the leading decision-makers of the emerging economic powers to identify and deliberate the key challenges facing Russia, emerging markets, and the world at large, while engaging communities to find common purpose and establish frameworks to forge solutions which will drive the growth and stability agenda. Over the past decade, the Forum has developed into a leading global business network, which attracts over 7,500 international and Russian participants, including government and business leaders from the emerging economic powers as well as leading global voices from academia, the media, and civil society. Read more