MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Attacks on tankers and oil facilities in the Persian Gulf region won’t damage cooperation between Russia and Arab countries, particularly under the OPEC+ deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Al Arabiya, Sky News Arabia and RT.
"If someone thinks that actions such as tanker detentions and attacks on oil facilities will somehow influence Russia’s cooperation with our Arab friends, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, or damage OPEC+ cooperation, they are wrong," Putin pointed out.
Moscow condemns the recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities no matter who is behind it, Putin said.
"No matter who is behind the incident, we condemn such actions. That’s it. This is what I said. There can be no other interpretation," he said.
A drone attack on the Saudi Aramco company’s oil facilities took place on the night of September 14. Houthi rebels from Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement claimed responsibility for the attack that involved ten unmanned aerial vehicles and halved Saudi Arabia’s oil output. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo accused Iran of being involved in the drone attack but Tehran dismissed the allegation as groundless.
OPEC+ countries (24 oil exporting countries, including Russia) have been coordinating oil production since 2017. The oil cut deal, which will remain in effect until the end of the first quarter of 2020, implies a reduction by 1.2 mln barrels per day compared to the October 2018 level, including 812,000 barrels for OPEC countries, and 383,000 barrels for countries outside of the organization.