Cooperation between Islamic countries and any country in the world is desirable, Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed El Khereiji told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that a country like Russia, which has 20 million Muslims, has diverse relations with all Islamic countries. “It is crucial that we and the Russian side have a meeting and dialogue,” noted El Khereiji. He stressed that Saudi Arabia is keen on the interest of the Islamic world. “The Kingdom is honored that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is based in Jeddah. We have many programs that support Islamic countries and strengthen ties among them through the Organization,” said El Khereiji. He pointed out that Wednesday’s dialogue at the meeting of the Strategic Vision Group “Russia and the Islamic World” was divided into three main points that included spreading tolerance, economic exchange, and combating extremism. El Khereiji stressed that having a sizeable economic exchange will reflect positively on the relations between the countries in the group and that combating extremism is one of the essential topics that were discussed. He explained that all discussions between Islamic countries and Russia are important for both sides.