You really shouldn't have! Falcon defecates in front of Putin as Russian leader presents the bird to Saudi Arabia's King Salman as a gift

  • Putin strokes the bird before it defecates on the palace's plush carpet in Riyadh 
  • He was presenting the gyrfalcon as a gift to King Salman on Monday 
  • The birds are highly sought after by Saudi princes who use them for hunting
  • Putin also gifted a sculpture made from mammoth ivory to the Crown Prince

A falcon defecated in front of the Saudi Arabian king while being presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a gift on Monday.

In footage taken at the royal palace in Riyadh, Putin strokes the bird's plumage while talking to King Salman before the gyrfalcon excretes onto the royal's plush carpet. 

In Putin's first visit to Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, he gifted the bird, called Alpha, and received a painting in return from King Salman.

Though it might appear an unusual present, hunting with birds of prey is one of the favourite sports of the Saudi princes.

Putin stroking the bird
The bird excreting on the floor

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) strokes the bird's majestic plumage before it defecates across the hallway of the Saudi palace (right)

Putin gestures to the gyrfalcon while speaking to King Salman at their meeting in Riyadh on Monday

Putin gestures to the gyrfalcon while speaking to King Salman at their meeting in Riyadh on Monday

During his visit, Putin also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom the Russian president says he has friendly relations.

In televised remarks, Putin and the king said bilateral relations were important to regional security and stability.

After discussions that touched on joint investments as well as conflicts in Syria and Yemen, Prince Mohammed said Saudi-Russian cooperation on energy would achieve stability. 

Today, Putin jetted into the United Arab Emirates as part of the Middle Eastern tour and met with Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the airport before travelling with him to the Qasr Al Watan palace.

As they arrived, troops on horseback flanked their limousine and military jets flew overhead, leaving a trail of smoke in the colour of the Russian flag. Smiling Emirati schoolchildren waved Russian and UAE flags.

The martial demonstrations, mirroring one given to Pope Francis in February, showed the importance the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, put on Putin's first visit since 2007.  

Putin talking to King Salman beside the bird
Putin talking to King Salman beside the bird

Putin watches the large bird of prey while it rests on the arm of a palace assistant, King Salman is close by in the res headdress 

Putin looks at the hooded gyrfalcon during his exchange of gifts with the Saudi royal on Monday

Putin looks at the hooded gyrfalcon during his exchange of gifts with the Saudi royal on Monday

Russian President Vladimir Putin presents a gift made of mammoth tusk to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov looks on in Riyadh on Monday

Russian President Vladimir Putin presents a gift made of mammoth tusk to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov looks on in Riyadh on Monday

Russia and other nations also have joined OPEC in a grouping called OPEC+, cutting their production to help boost prices.

Crude oil sold for over $100 a barrel in the summer of 2014 before bottoming out below $30 a barrel in January 2016.

On Monday, it traded just under $60 a barrel for benchmark Brent crude.

The region's security situation is the other part. Russia has worked with Iran to support embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad in his country's long war.

While opposing Assad at the beginning of the conflict, the UAE now seems to accept Assad will remain in power there.

Abu Dhabi has reopened its embassy in Damascus and is encouraging renewed business ties.

'We are intensively coordinating in the regional and international issues that are related to the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen and the situation in the Arab Gulf,' said Putin.

Fighter jets fly over the Gasr Al Watan Palace with smoke in the colours of the Russian flag for the arrival of Putin in Abu Dhabi

Fighter jets fly over the Gasr Al Watan Palace with smoke in the colours of the Russian flag for the arrival of Putin in Abu Dhabi

Emirati minister of interior, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahyan (left), and the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov (left) and UAE Deputy Prime Minister Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Emirati minister of interior, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan (left) and Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and UAE Deputy Prime Minister Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right)

Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday

Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday

Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov (centre) with the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan (left) during Putin's visit to the Qasr Al Watan palace today

Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov (centre) with the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed al-Nahyan (left) during Putin's visit to the Qasr Al Watan palace today

Meanwhile, the Emirates has tried to ease tensions with Iran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.

Oil tankers off the UAE's coast came under attack by what the U.S. Navy described as Iranian magnetic mines, something denied by Tehran.

Iran also seized a UAE-based oil tanker in recent months as well.

In the time since, Abu Dhabi quietly has reached out to Iran and pulled troops from a Saudi-led war in Yemen targeting Shiite rebels there aligned with Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday acknowledged a high-level official from the UAE had traveled to Iran for talks recently and said the relations between the two countries had improved recently.

Yet all this comes as the U.S. remains the major security partner for the UAE.

Some 5,000 American troops are stationed in the UAE and Dubai's Jebel Ali port remains the Navy's top overseas port of call.

In remarks at Qasr Al Watan, Sheikh Mohammed praised Russia's relationship with the Emirates.

'I hope this visit will have a deep effect to enhance the strategic relationship between our countries,' the crown prince said. 

Putin and Mohammed bin Salman attend a meeting at the Saudi Royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Putin and Mohammed bin Salman attend a meeting at the Saudi Royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Yesterday, on his visit to King Salman and the Crown Prince in Riyadh, Russian and Saudi flags lined the streets and an evening performance by Russia's Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra was given. 

The two sides signed more than a dozen memoranda of understanding during the visit including in the fields of energy, petrochemicals, transport and artificial intelligence.

RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev said a number of Russian investors were interested in a planned initial public offering of Aramco. The oil major could sell 1-2% through a local listing its chairman said would be announced 'very, very soon', ahead of a potential international offering.

Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Russia's Gazprom was interested in cooperating with Saudi firms on natural gas.

Moscow, the world's largest wheat exporter, made some progress in accessing the Saudi and Middle Eastern markets when the kingdom agreed in August to relax specifications for wheat imports, opening the door to Black Sea imports.

RDIF and Saudi Arabia's SALIC signed an agreement to jointly search for investment projects in Russia's agricultural sector.

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