Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday to address the situation in the Middle East, the Kremlin said.

“A wide number of questions regarding Saudi-Russia relations were discussed as well as the situation in North Africa and the Middle East,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies.

However, the spokesman did not give further details about the discussions, which come amid disagreements between Moscow and Riyadh over the two-year civil war in Syria that killed over 100,000 people, according to the United Nations.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia backs the rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, while Russia supports the Damascus regime and refuses to sever its ties with it.

Prince Bandar, Former Ambassador to the United States, is Saudi Arabia's National Security Council Chief.

According to analysts, Saudi Arabia has regained the initiative from Qatar in recent weeks to re-emerge as the diplomatic kingpin of the Gulf.

 

Source: AFP; Al Arabiya