Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said that partnership would continue with Riyadh within the framework of the Saudi-Russian Economic Council.
In phone remarks from Moscow to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dmitriev said that the RDIF and the Saudi Public Investment Fund were currently working on 25 new projects in sectors such as petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology.
“We will continue to cooperate within the framework of the Russian-Saudi Economic Council, which includes business leaders from both countries,” he added.
Dmitriev said despite challenges or mismatched visions on energy-related issues, the two sides would continue to work actively together.
“We are certainly determined to build the relationship between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Maybe there are differences on some energy issues, but Russia has developed a partnership with Saudi Arabia, and this relationship will continue,” he emphasized.
In a previous interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Dmitriev noted that Moscow was seeking to expand cooperation with Riyadh in the gas sector, in light of the possibility of launching a joint Russian-Saudi investment project in gas in the Arctic region.
Global gas demand will grow by 40 percent, by an estimated 5 trillion cubic meters by 2035, he remarked.
The RDIF CEO stressed that cooperation between Saudi Aramco, Novatek and the Russian Investment Fund would not be limited only to exploration in the Russian Arctic region.
He pointed out that companies would cooperate in creating a balance in the global energy market in terms of price and supply stability, logistical coordination, transformation, and technological development, stressing that cooperation in the gas sector was one of the most important pillars of the partnership between the two countries.
