RIA Novosti and Saudi national news agency SPA signed a cooperation agreement Sunday for the sharing of news products and services, as well as assistance to correspondents of both agencies working in Moscow and Riyadh.
"I would like to point out that RIA Novosti is the only Russian media outlet that has been allowed to operate in Saudi Arabia," Svetlana Mironyuk told Russian TV Channel Vesti 24.
She said Saudi Arabia is interested in information exchange with Russia despite the Arab country's rigid restrictions on foreign journalists working there.
"Suffice it to say that only Reuters, Xinhua and RIA Novosti represent global news agencies here [in Saudi Arabia]," Mironyuk said. "Overall, only 25 foreign journalists are officially accredited in the country."
"That is why the presence of the Russian media in Saudi Arabia, which is a regional leader, is very important," Mironyuk said.
