MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Saudi Arabia has been consistent in its balanced position on the situation in Ukraine and the kingdom has repeatedly offered to mediate negotiations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday.

Addressing a club meeting at the Diplomatic Academy at the Russian Foreign Ministry, he said: "Saudi leaders have been consistent in their balanced position on the situation in Ukraine and have repeatedly offered their services as a mediator to arrange talks."

Over the past few years, Saudi Arabia has been Russia’s strategic partner in the Middle East, Bogdanov said. "The role our countries have been playing globally as major hydrocarbon suppliers in the OPEC+ format, which has been a contributing factor to balancing the global economy for six years already, is key," he added. "We also have good prospects in the industrial sphere, energy, agriculture and other sectors."

According to the Russian diplomat, the two countries are building their relations "on the basis of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and mutual benefit with an intention to develop a new system of international relations that would be free of any dictatorship or alien social and economic models jointly with friendly nations."