Putin's Gift Defiled Saudi King's Palace: Experiences of Falconer and Gyrfalcon on Historic Visit. The ceremony of meeting Putin with the king of Saudi Arabia was reduced: the monarch is unwell Reception of the king of Saudi Arabia in the Kremlin

MOSCOW, October 14 - RIA Novosti. The President of Russia is coming to Saudi Arabia again at the invitation of the King. The previous official visit of Vladimir Putin to Riyadh took place in February 2007. But just for last years, as the Saudi side emphasized, relations between the countries have reached new horizons. The current negotiations could secure billions of dollars worth of trade deals.

royal welcome

Two years ago, the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was received in the Kremlin. Negotiations with the custodian of two shrines (the al-Haram mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's mosque in Medina) were supposed to dot the i's on issues related to the oil market and military-technical cooperation.

The delegation, numbering almost a thousand people, rented all the luxury rooms in the most expensive hotels in the Russian capital. The King is staying at the Four Seasons. This hotel chain is partly owned by his nephew, Prince Al-Walid. They even brought an escalator ladder with them so that the 81-year-old monarch could smoothly descend from the plane without stepping. Then, however, there was a hitch: the ladder stopped halfway - and the king still had to go down to the ground on his own.

For Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who ascended the throne in 2015, that visit to Russia was the first as a king, but he had already been to Moscow - in 2006. But Vladimir Putin visited Riyadh only once - 12 years ago. The Russian president was greeted with a cannon salute and a cavalry escort. The road in front of him was strewn with rose petals, and the dancers effectively presented a dagger. The colors were added by the outfits of Russian journalists - they had to wear hijabs. The monarch put at the disposal of the guest a whole palace. The visit of the king to the Kremlin was not so bright, but also very beautiful.

Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to the Historical Center named after King of Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz in Riyadh. February 12, 2007

Following the meeting two years ago, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted: "It was a friendly, thorough conversation, which was based on the mutual desire of Moscow and Riyadh to consistently build up mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas." His colleague Adel ibn Ahmed al-Jubeir said even more: "Relations between the two countries are entering new horizons that we could not even imagine before."

Finally, King Salman bin Abdulaziz invited Vladimir Putin to visit. Russian President promised to visit Saudi Arabia again. But he didn't set a deadline. And finally, the visit will take place.

King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who arrived in Russia on a state visit, during an official meeting at Vnukovo-2 airport. October 4, 2017

Politics and business in Riyadh

All this time, the president and the king kept in touch by phone, the Kremlin reported on the eve of the trip. In addition, Putin regularly meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. According to him, in Riyadh, the parties will first of all discuss issues of building up cooperation in the energy sector, agriculture, industry, military-technical sphere.

"Of course, it is meant to hold a thorough exchange of views on topical international issues with an emphasis on the state of affairs in the Middle East and North Africa. We will specifically talk about the situation in Syria, the Persian Gulf zone, Yemen and the Palestinian-Israeli settlement," - told reporters Ushakov.

The program in Riyadh will begin with a meeting with the king, followed by a state dinner on his behalf in honor of the Russian president. Then negotiations and signing of joint documents - more than thirty of them are being prepared.

Vladimir Putin will take part in the first meeting of the Russian-Saudi Economic Council, which includes representatives of big business from the two countries, two dozen people from each side. "Investment cooperation is growing. The Public Fund of Saudi Arabia has allocated $10 billion for investments together with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a co-investment mechanism is in place. A total of $2.5 billion has been disbursed," Ushakov added.

He noted that last year the trade turnover between the countries increased by 15 percent and exceeded one billion dollars. The day before it was also reported that Russian and Saudi companies will sign ten agreements on mutual investments in agriculture, fertilizer production, development railways and the petrochemical sector, totaling $2 billion.

black gold

Observers agree that the parties will discuss an agreement to limit oil production, because Russia and Saudi Arabia are its main participants. The OPEC+ deal, signed in 2017, has been extended twice, and the terms of production cuts have changed. Relations between the countries began to develop actively after this agreement. As Sergei Lavrov pointed out, close coordination on the situation on the world oil market should be included in the common asset of the countries.

The conversation can also touch on weapons. In September, Saudi oil facilities were attacked by drones, causing the country's oil production to halve. The American air defense systems (or their Saudi operators) could not beat off the attack. Washington and Riyadh blamed Iran for the incident, although the Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility.

"It is enough for the political leadership of Saudi Arabia to make a wise state decision, as the leaders of Iran did in their time, purchasing ( Russian systems air defense) S-300, and just as President (Turkey Recep Tayyip) Erdogan did by purchasing the latest S-400 Triumph air defense systems from Russia, Putin said then. He also assured that Moscow is ready to help overcome the differences between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

New level

"I am convinced that the Russian-Saudi summit will give a powerful additional impetus to our multifaceted partnership, will serve as its transition to new level will strengthen mutual understanding between the two peoples," Lavrov said in an interview with Arabic-language media.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled that Russia and Saudi Arabia are supporters of a resolute fight against terrorism: "We know firsthand what grief and destruction the extremist ideology brings, and therefore we will never lie, divide the radicals into "us" and "them". "use them for personal gain."

At a glance Russian minister However, significant potential for enhancing interaction between the two countries remains not only in energy or agriculture, but also in advanced technologies.

On Tuesday, October 15, Vladimir Putin's state visit to the United Arab Emirates is planned. "After negotiations in narrow and wide formats, Putin and (UAE President Khalifa ibn Zayed Al) Nahyan will meet with representatives of Russian and Emirati business circles, that is, the program roughly repeats the visit to Saudi Arabia," Ushakov said. According to him, last year the trade turnover increased by 3.6 percent and reached $1.7 billion.

"There are successes in investment cooperation - RDIF with the Emirates sovereign fund Mubadala have already completed more than 45 transactions worth $ 2.3 billion, plans to expand investment portfolio up to seven billion," Ushakov added.

The Kremlin spokesman also noted that the Emirates are popular with Russian tourists, their number increased by 23 percent last year. In addition, the UAE leads among the Persian Gulf countries in terms of trade with Russia.

On October 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin received King Salman ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia in the Kremlin. The Saudi side, even before the start of the visit, called it historical. And the special correspondent of "Kommersant" Andrey Kolesnikov calls it also unprecedented: never in the latest Russian history due to the arrival of a foreign statesman, the Grand Kremlin Palace was not rebuilt.

The day before the start of the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia, the Russia-Saudi Arabia Business Council was held in Moscow. Businessmen shared with each other the prospects for interaction. Thus, Ahmed al-Raji, Chairman of the Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia, spoke and said that there really are prospects. So, he said, Saudi Arabia now imports meat from Australia and New Zealand for $20 billion a year (14 hours by plane). And what's the point - if in Voronezh there is no worse meat, and it takes four hours to carry it?

All in all, the prospects seemed exciting, perhaps to both sides. But it was on the other hand, and it was obvious that any contracts that could have been concluded during this visit would still fade against the backdrop of the costs that the Saudis incurred in part of his organization.

Not only has everyone read about these expenses, but it seems everyone has already written about them. They say, for example, the room in which the king lives at the Four Seasons Hotel costs at least a million rubles. True, they do not take into account the discount, but it can take place: as you know, the entire global network of Four Seasons hotels is owned by the king's nephew, al-Walid bin Talal, the richest man in the world, to put it mildly.

Everyone wrote about some of the failures that haunted the king at the very beginning of his arrival: I mean standing on the ladder, obviously not brought from Saudi Arabia for this.

Another story of that night is, of course, the standing of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, and also near this ladder. Certainly someone confused him appearance. Still, he came to meet the king, and even what kind, and from under the coat one could see an Olympian with a nickel-plated zipper, although, we are all sure of it, and not cheap.

And then, after all, for some time he walked right next to the king, and this could cost Russia not just a note of protest from the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, but a real symphony. Thus, this story became the first test of the strength of relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia. And it's great that they passed this test.

In general, the visit began to take shape uneasy. But there were also pluses. The stop of the ladder provoked a situation when the king overcame most of the way with his feet. And it is known that not only in Saudi Arabia, but throughout the world there are ill-wishers who claim that the king is too weak and unable to take even a few steps. And it was an unexpected answer to all of them. But the news that the king of Saudi Arabia is bad would instantly knock down all world markets ...

Another thing is that the real subjects of the king take care of him and do everything not to once again expose his health to unnecessary tests. So, according to Kommersant's information, on the eve of the visit to Moscow, one very delicate one became one of the main topics of discussion among the organizers.

The fact is that the Saudis began to insist that the king should move around the Grand Kremlin Palace (BKD), where all the official events took place on October 5, on an electric car, which, of course, was made by special order in Saudi Arabia. This is a very small black car that looks like the kind that children ride in shopping malls and parks.

Moreover, it was about the fact that the king would ride in this electric car with a driver everywhere, except for public events with the participation of television cameras. Such a proposal sounded unprecedented: no one had ever traveled by car through the historic corridors and halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Moreover, in order for the project to take place, some restructuring of the Grand Kremlin Palace would be required. It was assumed that the king's cortege would drive up to the BKD from the side of the Blagoveshchensk entrance. Here the king had to transfer to an electric car. But how does the car get inside? Where exactly in the BKD will the king of Saudi Arabia sit in it? These were all unanswered questions so far.

I must say right away that when, just before the signing of bilateral agreements in the Malachite Foyer, I went down the famous front staircase leading from the entrance to the St. George Hall to the street (for example, Vladimir Putin climbs it during his inaugurations), I knew that the exit from this staircase to the Blagoveshchensky entrance (this exit is not a front door, not for leaders, but for members of delegations, staff and journalists) has undergone some redevelopment. The people who told me about it a minute ago in this same lobby deserved respect, their information could be trusted, given that they actually never deal with journalists. But you had to see everything with your own eyes.

It turned out to be easy. And the redevelopment, albeit small, was striking. Handrails appeared on both sides of the stairs near the walls. Of course, they didn't exist before. Why were they needed? And it was actually a sign of respect for the king. No one had to and could not support him while he climbed these stairs. The subjects understood this only too well. But it was necessary to provide support, at least moral, in such a situation. Handrails have become such support.

And besides the handrails, I also saw the king's cortege at the exit from the Annunciation entrance. By the way, there were not so many cars here - about 20. And among them there were no incredible, amazing ones. For some reason this made me happy.

As for the situation for which handrails were needed, then, according to Kommersant, the king's cortege on the morning of October 5 stopped at the entrance to the BKD from the Blagoveshchensky entrance. The king went out and climbed the stairs (there are only a few steps) to the electric car, which took him to the elevator. Whether the king used the handrails, history is silent and will always be silent now. But yes, I used an electric car in BKD.

The king entered the Andreevsky Hall of the Kremlin for the official ceremony of welcoming himself, of course, on his own, while walking, I repeat, not slowly: as if to spite all the enemies.

Journalists appeared in the Andreevsky Hall an hour before the ceremony. They were almost the same photographers: there was that rare case when they were given total preference over the writing press.

Everyone here was minding their own business. Two soldiers of the Guard of Honor Company were conducting a dress rehearsal for opening and closing the door, from behind which the king of Saudi Arabia was supposed to appear. The door is huge, but it's really easy to open, and the whole story is to do it in sync and in full ritual.

One Arab journalist was worried that the way from this door to the middle of the hall, where Vladimir Putin was supposed to be waiting for the king, would not be too long for the king to make.

The employees of the two protocols did not leave each other, certainly nervous: the meeting really, especially now, before it began, seemed historical.

Members of the delegations began to enter and take their places. The Arab part walked past me and stood in a line right in front of me (albeit with my back). I was, frankly, amazed at how tall and wide these people are. These, apparently, really were princes of the blood, who, if one did not know this and did not see that they were standing in the St. Andrew's Hall to participate in the ceremony of welcoming their king, could rather be mistaken for his protection.

And after a few seconds, the air around me seemed to be parted by hands: it consisted of the aromas that these people exuded. It wasn't eau de toilette, of course. These were Arabian flavored oils, and since each oil, of course, had its own and, I suspect, the author's, the general mixture that now made up the air turned out to be infinitely complex, and the head was spinning from it with breathtaking centrifugal force.

Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov (center) and President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov (left) rejoiced at meeting each other as if they were meeting a king

Members of the Russian delegation also passed by and parted. For them, this hall was more or less native, and they felt confident in it. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who was given an interesting birthday by circumstances, took a selfie with feeling against the backdrop of the walls of the hall and the line of the Saudis. Then President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov asked him to come up and take a picture with him - and it took them a long time, especially since Yunus-Bek Yevkurov immediately joined them. Always alone with a mobile phone, and here the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky did not part with it. Above this, that is, enjoying each other, Sergey Lavrov and Dmitry Rogozin stood a little apart, and from there, as usual, a lot of laughter was heard ... The economic bloc, represented primarily by Minister of Energy Alexander Novak, was also desperately photographed against the background of the walls and each other and each other another, which, of course, spoke of some uncertainty of these people in the future: as if they believed that the next opportunity might not present itself ...

And only the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, stood as if the ceremony had already begun, and what did it remind me of? .. And, of course, it reminded me of the members of the Saudi Arabian delegation, who stood with identical facial expressions opposite, one might say, frolicking members Russian delegation.

But what is it? After about ten minutes, I saw that the Saudis lost their nerve: at first, one somehow timidly pulled out, not very clear where mobile phone, then another, third ... And they began to do the same as ours. Only very shyly, thinking, maybe they are doing it secretly ... And I already saw how one turned on the phone’s camera just to look at himself and understand that it was in perfect order, and slowly turn it off, and I managed to think that it was after all, a good skill ... And the other, the youngest, it seems, the prince here, having taken three steps back from the line, was already talking on the phone, turning his back on his colleagues, and loudly, and they seemed to envy ...

I realized that the Saudis are receptive to other people's rules of the game and can exploit them themselves no worse than those who think they are setting them.

Suddenly the music began to play, it became clear: the ceremony began. The king entered the hall and, hunching a little, went to Vladimir Putin, who had come out to the center of the hall. The gait of Salman ibn Abdulaziz al-Saud was royal. Vladimir Putin's gait, it turns out, should have been considered presidential.

They did not stand in the center of the hall for long: while the hymns were played. As a matter of fact, at this ceremony of the meeting could be considered exhausted.

They reached the opposite end of the hall and stood there, as if discussing a plan for further action, that is, as if they themselves did not understand what to do next. In fact, they now faced negotiations in a narrow format.

They finally left the Andreevsky Hall, where once - and for a long time - the royal throne stood. Gradually, the members of the delegations began to disperse. Everyone here congratulated Ramzan Kadyrov on his birthday, Igor Sechin did not refuse an interview with an Arab TV channel, and Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky walked past me thoughtfully and, I would say, with a bright face.

No, what a hall we have! .. - he shared his thoughts with me. - What a hall we have! ..

Until I realized, I thought in the heat of the moment that he might be talking about some kind of cinema hall ...

And what kind of people are in it ... - I tried to support when I realized. - Have there ever been such people here? ..

Yes ... - Vladimir Medinsky sighed. - After all, the monarchy is a force ...

I did not begin to specify what kind of monarchy he means: the one that created this hall, or the one that just left it.

Andrey Kolesnikov

On Thursday, October 5, the King of Saudi Arabia was received in the Kremlin. The arrival of Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is significant not only because this is the first visit of the monarch, but also because the negotiations with the Guardian of the two shrines (al-Haram mosques in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina) were supposed to dot the i in questions related to the oil market and military-technical cooperation. Amid the Kremlin's gilding, the Saudis, accustomed to luxury, decided the fate of a package of arms contracts worth more than three billion dollars. And the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who celebrated his birthday, photographed with interest the place for the throne in the Andreevsky Hall.

All can kings

Muscovites could learn about the forthcoming visit of the king not only from the news. In early October, the Russian-Suadovsky investment fund posted posters on the highway from Vnukovo Airport with a greeting "To the Custodian of the two Islamic shrines, His Majesty the King of Saudi Arabia." The delegation, numbering almost a thousand people, rented all the luxury rooms in the most expensive hotels in the Russian capital. In an effort to please guests accustomed to oriental luxury, the rooms were refurbished, carpets were laid and low trestle beds were placed. The king himself stayed at the Four Seasons. This hotel chain is partly owned by his nephew, Prince Al-Walid.

There are legends about how the king and his retinue travel. The amount of luggage carried is especially impressive - the bill goes to hundreds of tons. Aircraft transport equipment, cars, elevators and even an escalator ladder, the length of which when folded is 15 meters. That's where he got in trouble. Technical specialists, who arrived as part of the delegation, collected this royal know-how on their own. But on Russian soil, something went wrong. The 81-year-old monarch stepped onto the escalator, drove a third of the way, and the gangway jammed. The elderly king, leaning on a wand, with difficulty climbed several steps on his own.

The Kremlin went off without a hitch. Since the state visit - highest level of all possible - implies a magnificent welcoming ceremony, taking into account the age of the monarch, it was nevertheless reduced. By tradition, the delegations of the two countries lined up along the Andreevsky Hall. In this front room of the Grand Kremlin Palace, restored in the 90s, a place for the throne was also designated. More precisely, a throne with replicas of royal chairs. It was in this direction that Vladimir Putin led his guest, circling the vaults of the hall with his hands and telling something with the help of translators.

When the king and the president left the hall, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, approached the throne. He stood out against the general background with his paramilitary outfit - a dark green jacket. Left alone for a few moments, Kadyrov took out his phone and photographed the place for the throne. And then he posed for his Instagram with the leaders of Ingushetia and Tatarstan. All three represented the Muslim part of the Russian Federation.

Arab journalists meanwhile warned Russian colleagues from a mistake: the name of their king should be pronounced in full and only in full. “No way! Only Salman bin Abdulaziz!” - one of the guests spoke in perfect Russian, raising his voice with respect.

Waited ten years

Relations between Moscow and Riyadh have not always been smooth sailing. The first official visit of representatives of Saudi Arabia to Moscow after the collapse of the USSR took place in 2003. For the current king, who took the throne in 2015, the current visit is the first in a new capacity, but he already visited Moscow in 2006, being the ruler of Riyadh.

But Vladimir Putin visited this Arab country only once - ten years ago, but remembers that trip with warmth. He was received royally, with a cannon salute and a cavalry escort. The monarch put the entire palace at the disposal of the guest and generously invited him to change the schedule of the visit at his own discretion. The road in front of Putin was strewn with rose petals, and the dancers spectacularly presented a dagger (one can imagine what the president's bodyguard went through at that moment). The colors were added by the outfits of Russian journalists - they had to wear hijabs.

Just a few years before that visit, Russia accused Saudi Arabia of financially supporting Chechen terrorists. Riyadh expressed dissatisfaction with Moscow's attitude towards the Muslims of his country. But in the name of a joint fight against terrorism, the parties entered into a dialogue. Then Putin left the kingdom with the highest award of the kingdom - the Order of Abdel Aziz. Finally, he invited the then King Abdullah, the half-brother of the current ruler, to pay a return visit to Moscow. The visit had to wait ten years - Riyadh preferred to look towards Washington.

Kalashnikov and wheat

Before the visit of Salman bin Abdulaziz, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the meeting of the leaders would be “a turning point in relations and bring cooperation to a new level, providing a fruitful contribution to stability in the Middle East and North Africa". The fact that Moscow really has high expectations, especially in terms of military-technical cooperation, was told to the Kommersant newspaper by sources working in this area.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, the Russian side has prepared a package of arms contracts worth over three billion dollars, including the supply of several divisions of S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. For ten years, Moscow tried to enter the Riyadh arms market, but it never came to contracts.

As a result, through Rosoboronexport, only an agreement was signed to organize licensed production of AK-103 assault rifles and cartridges for various purposes in the kingdom. Of the 14 papers certified by the delegations, one can single out an agreement on research and cooperation in outer space and a program in the field of the use of atomic energy. Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture has agreed on the supply of Russian wheat to Saudi Arabia, although the export of Russian barley already accounts for almost half of bilateral trade worth more than $200 million.

Salman bin Abdel Al Saud positively assessed Russia's efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria. And he did not fail to prick Iran. “We emphasize that the security and stability of the Gulf region and the Middle East will require Iran to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of states, refraining from activities to destabilize the situation in this region,” the king said slowly, checking papers covered in large print. Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, he noted that relations between Moscow and Riyadh, according to his estimates, "are characterized by the coincidence of views on many regional and international problems."

“It was a friendly, thorough conversation, based on the mutual desire of Moscow and Riyadh to consistently build up mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas,” Lavrov said after the talks. His colleague Adel ibn Ahmed al-Jubeir used stronger language. In his opinion, "relations between the two countries are reaching new horizons, which we could not even imagine before."

Finally, King Salman bin Abdulaziz invited Vladimir Putin to visit. The Russian President accepted the invitation and promised to visit Saudi Arabia again. But he didn't set a deadline.