King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan may visit Russia for the MAKS-2015 air show and defense expo, a source in the Russian defense industry told news site Lenta.ru.
According to the source, the Saudi and Jordanian kings would visit the expo on its opening day, August 25, together with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Moscow was unavailable for comment. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously said that the two 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 during the Saudi foreign minister's August 11 visit to Moscow.
Economic ties, including the two countries' oil industries are also rumored to be discussed on the sidelines. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said in June that it intends to invest $10 billion in Russia as part of a partnership with a Russian investment fund.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef has also previously expressed interest in purchasing Russian Iskander ballistic missiles. Jordan's air force has previously procured Il-76MF transport planes from Russia, and began producing RPG-32 anti-tank grenade launcher systems under license in 2013.
