Putin, Saudi king discuss Middle East issues by phone

MOSCOW, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in the Middle East on Thursday in a phone conversation with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kremlin said.

The Saudi King expressed serious concerns over the launch of a ballistic missile toward the royal palace in Riyadh by the Yemeni Houthi movement on Tuesday, the Kremlin said in a press release.

Condemning the missile launch, Putin noted the importance of a comprehensive investigation of the incident and spoke in favor of resolving the Yemeni crisis exclusively through peaceful means and national dialogue.

The two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Syria and stressed the need to further intensify efforts to achieve a political settlement in the war-torn country.

Putin and King Salman also discussed issues of Russian-Saudi cooperation, including energy. They agreed to continue close coordination to maintain stability in the global hydrocarbon market.

King Salman visited Russia in October, during which Russia signed deals to supply Saudi Arabia with weapons worth at least 2.1 billion U.S. dollars. Enditem