Putin's trip to boost economic ties with Saudis, UAE

Russia is aiming to enhance its ties with countries in the Middle East across a range of fields, including energy and technology, starting with President Vladimir Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday, Russian experts said.

The country will also seek to gain greater influence in the region amid the tensions playing out between Iran and its Arab neighbors, the experts said.

The Russian president made his only prior trip to Riyadh in 2007, with top-level visits put on hold until Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud made a historic first trip to Russia in October 2017.

In an interview with Saudi media before his visit, Putin hailed the role played by Saudi Arabia in regional affairs.

He highlighted the important transformation that had been underway in his country's relations with Saudi Arabia, and said his trip would develop them even further.

According to the Kremlin, Putin, accompanied by his energy minister and the head of Russia's wealth fund, is due to hold talks with King Salman and de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Putin was scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

"I am convinced that the Russia-Saudi summit will give further impetus to our multifaceted partnership, contribute to its qualitative growth and strengthen mutual understanding between the two peoples," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the eve of the visit.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said: "About 30 agreements and contracts will be signed during President Putin's visit to Saudi Arabia. We are working on them. These are investment projects, and the sum in question is billions of dollars."

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, or RDIF, said the two countries plan to sign agreements in the energy sector as well as in technology, culture and investment.

In October, the RDIF opened its first foreign office - in Saudi Arabia.

The Moscow Times reported that Russian energy giant Gazprom is also discussing with Saudi officials projects in natural gas conversion. Officials from both sides said they will present details during Putin's visit.

Putin, in his comments before the trip, said: "Work is underway on other projects, and some promising and interesting projects have already been implemented."

Columnist Olesya Astakhova said that, in addition to efforts to boost economic cooperation, there were geopolitical matters to be covered on Putin's visit.

Putin would seek to extend Moscow's influence in the region, capitalizing on Russia's military role in Syria as well as its strong ties with regional powers.

Putin's visit coincides with a Pentagon announcement that it is dispatching 3,000 additional troops and two squadrons of fighter jets to the Gulf kingdom in an effort to deter "Iranian aggression" following the drone and cruise missile attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities last month.

Saudi Arabia and the United States, as well as other Western powers, blamed Iran for the attack.

However, Putin said Teheran "has nothing to do with this" when asked about Iran's possible involvement.

Russia could play a positive role in easing tensions with Iran as the country has good ties with both sides, Putin said.