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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah bin al-Hussein of Jordan are expected to attend the opening day of the MAKS-2015 air show in Russia on August 25. The two Arab leaders are also expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin, reported Sputnik News.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who met with his Saudi counterpart last week in Moscow, said that the countries' relations have become closer in recent months.
"The conversation regarding the situation in the Middle East, begun in Saint Petersburg [at the SPIEF-2015 economic forum] with the Crown Prince and continued in Doha a week ago, opens the possibility for more detailed discussions," Lavrov said after the two men held top level talks on the Syrian civil war and the Islamic State.
An economic partnership, including the two countries' oil industries,could be discussed on the sidelines. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said in June that it intended to invest $10 billion in Russia as part of a partnership with a Russian investment fund.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef also previously expressed interest in purchasing Russian Iskander ballistic missiles when meeting with Putin in June in St. Petersburg.
"The visit is very important and will determine future prospects, as well as opportunities to advance strategic relations based on a solid foundation and mutual respect which can change the paradigm and begin a new era in relations between the two countries," Saudi Arabian ambassador to Russia Abdulrahman al-Rassi said prior to the Russia visit.
Saudi Arabia, a Sunni nation, has been vehemently against the Iran nuclear deal while Russia was a key player in crafting it.
