RIYADH: The Saudi king and Russia's foreign minister have met in Saudi Arabia ahead of a possible visit by the monarch to Russia next month.
Saudi Arabia's state news agency says King Salman and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today discussed the war in Syria and an Arab diplomatic crisis with Qatar.
Saudi Arabia supports Sunni rebels fighting the Syrian government, which is backed by Russia and Shiite-ruled Iran.
Lavrov is scheduled to visit Jordan next, after last month meeting leaders in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and Qatar's ruling emir spoke for the first time since a diplomatic crisis erupted in June, but the call only led to further public squabbling.