Saudi crown prince arrives in Moscow for World Cup opener against Russia

The crown prince was greeted at the airport by the Russian FIFA World Cup mascot where he signed a commemorative ball. (SPA)

DUBAI: The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and attend the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

The crown prince was greeted at the airport by the Russian FIFA World Cup mascot where he signed a commemorative ball.

Crown Prince Mohammed told Russian President Vladimir Putin that ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ wants to continue cooperation with Russia on global oil markets, adding that this cooperation was beneficial for the whole world.

Putin told the prince at their meeting in Moscow that he was happy to see him at the opening of the soccer World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday with a match between the Russian and ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵn national teams.

The crown prince will later attend the opening match, which kicks off at 6pm KSA time.

This is ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ's fifth appearance at the World Cup finals and their first since 2006. The high point was a run to the last 16 in 1994 which was achieved on the back of group wins over Morocco and Belgium, the Green Falcons' only wins at the finals in 13 matches.