Jeddah, Dhu-Al-Hijjah 6, 1438 H., Aug 28, 2017, SPA -- Ilyas Omakhanov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council, who is also Advisor to Russian president, expressed thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, for the utmost attention paid to pilgrims, in general and the Russians, in particular, since arrival and until they leave, following fulfilling their rites. During a press conference held here today, he praised good relations with the Kingdom and the importance of developing cooperation between the two sides, especially as regards the cultural and media aspects, which will contribute to the development of relations between the two countries as well as cooperation between the relevant ministries in each of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation. Omakhanov pointed out that the services and great efforts provided by the Saudi government to pilgrims contributed significantly to the performance of Hajj, smoothly and at ease, through an integrated system of work between all concerned parties, to achieve remarkable success that the Kingdom seeks to achieve each year, and urban development and organization, at holy sites, as well as cooperation of all to serve the pilgrims and provide all they need with sincerity and dedication I convey the greetings of more than 25 million Russian Muslims, and their and thanks to and appreciation of the Kingdom for the developments in the sacred sites to provide pilgrims with excellent services, he added. He said that Russian pilgrims have enjoyed great privileges from officials in the Kingdom, over the past 15 years, pointing out that 300,000 pilgrims from the Russian Federation have visited Saudi Arabia, concluding that the number of Russian pilgrims stood at over 20,000 pilgrims, who will perform Hajj of this year. -- SPA 20:11 LOCAL TIME 17:11 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w476139