Officials from Sauidi Arabia and Russia attended the first meeting of the Saudi-Russian Coordinating Committee for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation this week, discussing an Intergovernmental Agreement the two countries signed in June 2015.
Deputy Chairman of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy Waleed bin Hussain Abu Al-Faraj and Rosatom First Deputy CEO and Director of Corporate Development and International Business Kirill Komarov co-chaired the meeting, which allowed the officials to examine the progress made in implementing Intergovernmental Agreement. Those in attendance also discussed how the two countries will move forward in terms of developing and implementing joint nuclear power programs and projects.
The meeting build upon a previous gathering in Riyadh, during which Saudi officials explained their country’s goals in terms of renewable power sources, both for generating electricity and for desalinating water. The country is hoping to use nuclear energy for these needs, allowing it to preserve its hydrocarbon resources for future use or for export and production, which would contribute to its economy. Kirill attended that meeting on Russia’s behalf, along with Russian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Oleg Ozerov, with Head of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy Hashim bin Abdullah Yamani representing the Saudis.
