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8 August 2018 13:10

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s reply to a media question on tension between Canada and Saudi Arabia

1467-08-08-2018

Question: Relations between Canada and Saudi Arabia have recently soured after Canada’s Foreign Ministry criticised human rights violations and called for the immediate release of political activists in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh has announced its decision to call its ambassador in Ottawa back for consultations, expel the Canadian Ambassador and suspend flights to Canada by the Saudi Arabia state airline.

Will you comment on this, please?

Maria Zakharova: We consistently and firmly advocate compliance with universal human rights with due regard for the specific national customs and traditions that developed in a given country over a long period of time. We have always said that the politicisation of human rights matters is unacceptable.

We believe that Saudi Arabia, which has entered a path towards large-scale socioeconomic reform, has the sovereign right to decide how it will proceed in this vital sphere. What one probably needs in this situation is constructive advice and assistance rather than criticism from a “moral superior.”

At the same time, we hope that Saudi Arabia and Canada will find a civilised solution to their differences.

Bilateral relations

RUSSIA-SAUDI ARABIA RELATIONS

History: Between 1891 and 1914, the Russian Empire’s consulate operated in the Ottoman Empire-controlled Jeddah.

The Soviet Union was the first country to recognise the independent Saudi state, the Kingdom of Hejaz, Nejd and joined dominions that was renamed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in 1932. After exchanging notes, the USSR and the Kingdom of Hejaz established diplomatic relations on February 19, 1926. In 1932, KSA Foreign Minister Prince Faisal paid an official visit to the Soviet Union. In 1938, due to the complicated domestic and foreign political situation in the Soviet Union, the Jeddah diplomatic mission was closed and diplomatic relations were de facto discontinued.

In December 1982, Saudi Arabia initiated a communication channel via London that was used to convey messages between Moscow and Riyadh, including at the top level, and information on topical international and regional problems, primarily on the Arab-Israeli settlement.

In view of the deterioration of the military and political situation in the Persian Gulf caused by Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal paid working visits to Moscow in September and November 1990. The parties agreed on full resumption of diplomatic relations and on the re-opening of diplomatic missions (the Soviet Embassy in Riyadh opened in May 1991, the Consulate General in Jeddah since April 1991; the KSA Embassy opened in Moscow in December 1991). On December 30, 1991, Saudi Arabia recognised the Russian Federation as the successor to the Soviet Union.

High-level and top-level contact: In February 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia during which the states signed the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention, and several cooperation agreements in air transport, culture, information exchange and inter-bank collaboration.

Throughout 2013-2015, the political dialogue with the kingdom’s leadership intensified.

President Putin received Bandar bin Sultan, Director General of the Saudi Intelligence Agency and Secretary General of the National Security Council (in July and December, 2013, in Moscow), Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal (July 2014 in Sochi), successor to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud (in June 2015 in St Petersburg, in October 2015 in Sochi and in May 2017 in Moscow) with whom he also met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, in October 2016.

On January 24, 2015, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited Riyadh to offer his sympathy on the passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

In November 2015, during the G20 meeting in Antalya, Turkey, Vladimir Putin held talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The leaders of the two countries speak by telephone on a regular basis to discuss key aspects of bilateral relations and items on the regional agenda. They have had nine telephone conversations since April 2015.

The Russian and Saudi Arabian foreign ministers also maintain an intensive dialogue. Sergey Lavrov and Adel al-Jubeir exchange working visits and meet on the sidelines of various international forums, and regularly speak by telephone. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Saudi Arabia in September 2017 where he was received by King Salman and held talks with the KSA Foreign Minister).

Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa, has also visited the Kingdom several times.

Parliamentary contact: Between February 24-27, 2014, the Russian delegation headed by Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov was in the KSA to participate in the 3^rd G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Consultations in Riyadh. The delegation also met with the Kingdom’s leadership, leaders of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the management of the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah.

On February 24-26, 2016, a delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia headed by Nasser bin Abdulaziz Dawood visited Moscow. Saudi representatives were received in the Federation Council by Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev and Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, and in the Foreign Ministry by Mikhail Bogdanov, Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa.

On April 15-17, 2017, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko visited Saudi Arabia. She was received by King Salman and also met with Consultative Assembly Speaker Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh and KSA Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.

The parliamentary speakers of the two countries regularly exchange messages. In May 2017, Saudi Arabia informed Russia that members of the KSA Consultative Assembly would form an inter-parliamentary friendship group with Russia.

Contact with Russian regions: The Kingdom has been visited by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov (most recently, in February 2017), Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov and Head of Bashkortostan Rustem Khamitov. In November 2016, Head of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov paid a visit to the KSA. During these visits, the heads of the republics met with the King and other representatives of the Saudi leadership.

On October 17, 2014, a delegation of Saudi investors visited the Orel Region led by Wafrat Connection President Abdulaziz Saad Kridis. The visit was a followup to Russian Business Week that took place in early September 2014 in Riyadh and Jeddah.

On May 26-28, 2015, Jeddah hosted the Russian Regions Roadshow fair that involved over a hundred representatives of the Russian business community, government agencies and regional governments, including Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Crimea and the Arkhangelsk Region. Over 20 Russian regions participated in the event.

The Rostov and Chelyabinsk regions have also expressed interest in developing cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Trade and economic ties, cooperation in science and technology: As of the end of 2016, trade between Russia and the KSA was about half of what it was in 2015 dropping to $491.7 million. However, in the first half of 2017, it increased again by 13 percent and reached $332 million. Saudi Arabia’s share in Russian foreign trade accounted for 0.105 percent (75^th largest partner) as of the end of 2016 against 0.176 percent (66^th largest partner) in 2015. Commodities and agricultural goods, fertiliser, primary rolled metal products prevail in Russia’s exports to the KSA while petrochemicals dominate in Saudi imports to Russia.

The most rapidly developing areas in the countries’ trade and economic cooperation are investment, oil and gas, and agriculture.

In October 2002, the Russia-Saudi Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technology Cooperation was created. The commission has convened four times, including a meeting in Moscow on November 24-26, 2015, that served as the basis for a Russian-Saudi investment forum. The fifth session is scheduled for October and November 2017 in Riyadh.

The co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission on the Russian side is Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak (since April 2015). Co-chairman on the Saudi side is Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid Al-Qassabi (since November 2016).

Since 2002, the Russian-Saudi Business Council has operated within the Russian-Arab Business Council. Chairman on the Russian side is Vladimir Yevtushenkov. In February 2016, Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers Abdulrahman Al Zamil was appointed co-chairman on the Saudi side and the head of the Executive Committee.

The Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia continue to develop cultural ties, including between their Muslim organisations.

In 2002, Russia established its hajj mission (represents the Council for Hajj at the Government Commission on Religious Organisations) to provide assistance to Russian pilgrims. The work is coordinated by the council’s plenipotentiary for hajj, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov. The annual quota for Russian pilgrims is 16,400 people.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

General information: Saudi Arabia is an Arab state in Southwest Asia that occupies over 80 percent of the territory on the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait in the north and the northeast, and Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE in the east, and Oman and Yemen in the southeast and south.

Area: 2.1 million square kilometres. The length of the land boundary is 4,431 kilometres, and the shoreline is 2,640 kilometres long.

Population: 31.7 million, including 11.7 million foreign permanent residents. The annual population growth is about 2.4 percent (as of 2016). The unemployment rate among Saudi Arabians in 2016 was 12.1 percent.

Capital: Riyadh (around 8 million). Major cities: Jeddah, Mecca, Medina, Taif, the Dammam metropolitan area (or Greater Dammam, including Dammam, Dhahran and Khobar).

Official language: Arabic. English is also commonly used.

Religion: Sunni Islam. Islam’s main sacred sites are located in the Kingdom, including the cities of Mecca and Medina which are visited annually by 3 million pilgrims during hajj. Religion has a strong influence on the country’s domestic and foreign policy.

National holiday: September 23, Saudi National Day marking the founding of the Kingdom.

Currency: Saudi riyal, 1 riyal ≈ $0.27.

Political system: Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, with the entire power belonging to the King. The head of state is King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (since January 2015). He also heads the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) who appoints council members, and Chief Commander of the Armed Forces. He is also the leader of the Muslim community. The Crown Prince is the King’s son, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (since June 21, 2017) who is also First Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister.

Foreign Minister: Adel al-Jubeir is Foreign Minister (appointed on April 29, 2015).

Since February 1992, the Consultative Assembly (Shura Council) has functioned as an advisory body for the head of state. The King appoints 150 members for four years. The assembly develops and proposes recommendations for the King and the government on socioeconomic issues, drafts legal opinions on various legal acts and international agreements. The speaker of the assembly is Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh (since March 2009). In December 2016, a new assembly composition was announced for the next four-year term. Since January 2013, it includes female members (30 mandates out of 150).

Legal system: Saudi Arabia’s legal system is based on Sharia law. The judicial system comprises several Sharia courts, with the Supreme Court of Cassation and the Council of Senior Scholars (also known as the Senior Council of Ulema), which is also at the top of the Kingdom’s system of religious institutions, being the superior courts. At the same time, recently, KSA leadership has been promoting the course for expanding the application of secular legislative instruments. In 1992, the above mentioned Basic Law of Saudi Arabia was adopted that describes the basic principles of governance and social structure, including the rule of sharia law in domestic legislation.

Domestic politics: The country has been relatively stable in recent years.

Armed forces: The number of military personnel is estimated at around 200,000. The regular army includes Ground Fprces, the Air Force and the Navy. The Saudi Arabian National Guard under the King’s command is a separate branch of the armed forces.

Economy: The KSA primarily depends on oil revenue which accounts for 90 percent of all export returns and 80 percent of budget revenue. The Kingdom operates established oil reserves of almost 226 billion barrels (16 percent of total global reserves) and has sufficient reserve capacity to increase production levels if necessary. Mean daily oil production in 2016 was 10.6 million barrels.As of the end of 2016, GDP was $618 billion. The GDP growth rate is 1.4 percent. The national debt is about 17.2 percent of GDP. Annual inflation rate is 3.8 percent. Foreign debt is $166.8 billion.

Budget and finances: In 2016, Saudi Arabia ran a budget deficit of 297 billion Saudi riyals (approximately $79 billion). The budget revenue as of the end of the year reached 528 billion Saudi riyals ($140.8 billion) while the expenditure budget was 825 billion Saudi riyals ($220 billion).

Foreign trade: Total foreign trade in 2016 was $378 billion, including exports of $203.5 billion (35 percent lower than in 2015) and imports of $174.6 billion (6 percent decrease). Oil and oil products make up nearly 90 percent of the KSA’s exports. The main trade partners are the United States (14 percent), China (13 percent), Japan (12 percent), South Korea (10 percent) and India (8 percent). In 2005, Saudi Arabia joined the WTO.

Transport: Vehicular transport prevails in domestic cargo and passenger operations. The total length of paved roads is over 221,372 kilometres. There are 26 airports (including six international), and 22 seaports (including five major, two industrial and 15 secondary). The railway system comprises 1,392 route-kilometres; the route length of the main pipeline system is around 10,000 kilometres. In early 2014, Saudi officials began building a metro system in Riyadh at an estimated cost of $22 billion. The metro is expected to be finished by 2018. Six metro lines will run for a total distance of 176 kilometres.

Education: The country has state and religious education systems with public and private schools. Male and female students study separately at all levels. There are 16 hiher educational establishments, including 11 national universities. The number of university students in the KSA exceeds 630,000. Around 150,000 Saudis study abroad, including 80,000 in the United States.

Foreign policy: Saudi Arabia is a member of the United Nations, the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is one of the co-founders of the IMF and the World Bank, OPEC and OAPEC, and the International Energy Forum.

In international affairs the Kingdom acts as one of the leaders of the Muslim and Arab world, and an influential actor in the world energy market. The headquarters of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are located in the KSA, in Riyadh and Jeddah, respectively. Since 2003, the Secretariat of the International Energy Forum is based in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia supports closer integration of Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf, including the establishment of a military and political union of GCC states.

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in Riyadh
Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Riyadh
Consulate General in Jeddah
Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the Organization of the Islamic Conference

Saudi Arabia

Embassy of Russia in Riyadh

Address :: Saudi Arabia, P.O.Box 94308 Riyadh 11693 Russian Embassy, Al-Wasiti str., Rahmania, bld. 13

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Phone :: +966 1 14-81-18-75; +966 1 14-81-14-32
Hotline :: +966 1 14-81-18-75
+966 1 14-81-14-32
+966 1 15-49-11-46-40
Fax: +966 1 14-81-18-90
E-mail: rusembass@mail.ru ; rusemb.saudiarabia@mid.ru
Web: https://riyadh.mid.ru/; Twitter; Instagram; Telegram

Saudi Arabia

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Riyadh

Address :: Saudi Arabia, P.O.Box 94308 Riyadh 11693 Russian Embassy, Al-Wasiti str., Rahmania, bld. 13

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Phone :: +966 1 14-81-18-44
Fax: +966 1 14-81-18-90
E-mail: consulksa@mail.ru
Web: https://riyadh.mid.ru/

Saudi Arabia

Consulate General in Jeddah

Address :: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Al-Hamra'a dist-2, Al-Andalus str., 14; PO BOX 15786 Jeddah 21454

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Phone :: +966 12 665-92-55
+966 12 667-18-32
Hotline :: +966 55 443-46-55
E-mail: gkdjid@mid.ru
Web: https://jeddah.mid.ru; Twitter; Facebook

Saudi Arabia

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the Organization of the Islamic Conference

Address :: Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, index 21482, P/O box 8154, Shaty district, Taher Zamahshary st., 24

: Active Permanent Representative - Mrs. Natalia Taratynova

Phone :: +966 12 606-93-93
Fax: +966 12 606-99-33
E-mail: rusoic@gmail.com
Web: https://russiaoic.mid.ru/

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Russian Federation

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s reply to a media question on tension between Canada and Saudi Arabia

General Information

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in Riyadh

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in Riyadh

Consulate General in Jeddah

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the Organization of the Islamic Conference

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Russian Federation

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