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How stronger Russia-Saudi ties may be threat to Assad

The recent visit of Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince to Russia suggests a possible progression in Saudi-Russia relations. But what implications could such an alliance have on regional conflicts, particularly the Syrian crisis?
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) attends a meeting with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohammad Bin Salman at the Konstantin (Konstantinovsky) Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 18, 2015. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor  - RTX1H394

Reports of an apparently successful visit by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman to Russia suggest a potential improvement in Russian-Saudi ties — but could it also be bad news for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?

In addition to meeting with President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Russia’s attempt at organizing its own version of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland), Mohammed signed agreements on oil, nuclear power and space. Other deals included a memorandum of understanding between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority on jointly investing up to $10 billion. Simultaneously, Saudi military officials attended Russia’s “Army 2015 International Military Technical Forum” in Kubinka and Saudi officials openly speculated about buying Russian ships and missiles

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