RIYADH: Two captives held by the US and Russia have been freed thanks to mediation efforts led by the presidents of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to a joint statement from their foreign ministries on Thursday. According to the statement, ‘the ministries stated that the success of the mediation efforts was a reflection of the mutual and strong relationship between their two nations, as well as the United States and Russia’
Additionally, ‘they recognised the significant role played by the leaderships of the two fraternal nations in encouraging discussion amongst all parties,’ the statement continued. In the presence of experts from the Kingdom and the UAE, the statement confirmed that US basketball star Brittney Griner arrived in Abu Dhabi by private plane from Moscow on Thursday after being released by Russian authorities. Russian citizen Viktor Bout also travelled by private plane from Washington after being released by US authorities.
The foreign ministries of the UAE and Saudi Arabia ‘expressed the gratitude of their respective governments to the governments of the US and Russia for their cooperation and responsiveness, as well as for the combined mediation efforts made by the leaderships of the two nations,’ the statement added.
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