The Special Envoy of Russia's President to the Middle East and Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Sultanov, has hailed the recent fatwa (religious edict) issued by Saudi Arabia's Board of Senior Ulama criminalizing the financing of terrorism. He described the fatwa as a measure to fight terrorism and welcomed the cooperation between the two countries in this regard. Sultanov made the remarks Friday after receiving a delegation of the Shoura Council currently visiting Russia. He said relations between the two countries have witnessed a major leap following the visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in September 2003, when he was Crown Prince, during the tenure of former president Vladimir Putin. He said the King's visit gave a major impetus to relations between the two countries. He said both countries held similar views on several regional and international issues, and the peace process in the Middle East. The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister expressed his country's appreciation and recognition of the Kingdom's role in supporting Russia's membership in the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), in the capacity of an observer. Dr. Muhammad Bin Saad Al-Salim, Head of the Kingdom's Shoura Council delegation and Chairman of the Saudi-Russian Parliamentary Friendship Committee, expressed his satisfaction at the cooperation between the two countries in fighting terrorism. He also briefed the deputy minister on economic, investment and education developments in the Kingdom. He also referred to the focus of King Abdullah on technical education, scientific research and growth of the knowledge economy.
