Moscow and Riyadh both want to see oil prices react to market forces, and not to geopolitical muscle flexing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said Friday.

Moscow and Riyadh both want to see oil prices react to market forces, and not to geopolitical muscle flexing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said Friday.

“Saudi Arabia and Russia believe that pricing should be market-oriented and let supply and demand play the decisive role. We and our Saudi partners are against shifting markets as result of political or geopolitical schemes,” Lavrov said at a news conference after holding talks with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal in Moscow.

The two agreed to continue cooperation on energy and issues related to the oil market, Lavrov said.

The foreign minister’s comments come ahead of the OPEC meeting on November 27 in Vienna, Austria, which may see a cut in production to boost oil prices.

Brent crude rose by 2.03 percent to $80.94 on Friday, the first time it has crossed the $80 threshold since November 13.

In a different context, the Russian and the Saudi sides agreed on forming an alliance to face terrorism, according to Lavrov.