Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman

:: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman is visiting Moscow Tuesday to discuss the Syrian conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow and Riyadh have so far backed opposing sides in the six-year war, with Saudi Arabia supporting the opposition and Russia propping up President Bashar Al Assad.

Although opposition and government negotiators have failed to reach a deal, there are hopes that foreign powers will be able to force a settlement.

Despite the failure to reach a peace deal, evacuation agreements on the ground in Syria are being carried out in some besieged areas. On Monday, more than 1,000 people left the opposition-held Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus for another opposition territory.

The Saudi crown prince’s trip to Moscow, reported by Al Arabiya news channel, comes after last week’s visit by US President Donald Trump to Riyadh in what was his first official trip abroad.

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is due to head to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku this week.