On December 30, 2023, the Russian online daily Vzglyad published an article titled "Russia Has Become The Wisest Player In The Middle East,"[1] reviewing Russia's diplomatic activity in the Middle East throughout 2023. The article highlights how the Kremlin developed its relations with Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other countries, while maintaining ties with Israel. Kirill Semenov, an orientalist and expert at the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs, is quoted as saying: "We have made good use of the window of opportunities that opened up. This was facilitated by our balanced position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Neutrality combined with readiness to support the creation of a Palestinian state inspires confidence in all key regional players."
Photo: kremlin.ru
Following is a translation of the article.
"The UAE Has Become Russia's Main Trading Partner In The Arab Region"
"Russia's policy in the Middle East in 2023 was particularly active. Moscow managed to improve relations with Arab countries and Iran, strengthen dialogue with Turkey and maintain normal relations with Israel. All this was the result of strict adherence to the two diplomatic traditions that Moscow has followed for several decades in a row.
"In the past year, Russia made special achievements in building relations with the countries of the Arab region. In particular, Moscow's ties with Riyadh have achieved tremendous success. In March, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud paid a visit to Russia, where he met with Sergey Lavrov.
"The two sides reaffirmed their desire to establish active diplomatic and trade ties. Both states expressed hope for further cooperation in the framework of resolving the crises in Syria and Yemen. The conflict in Ukraine and Palestinian-Israeli tensions were also discussed.
"In his speech at the press conference following the meeting with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov also noted that the countries are interested in developing coordination of joint actions within the framework of OPEC+. This meeting was a kind of 'synchronizing the watches' for building up further partnership between Moscow and Riyadh in 2023.
"In May, Russian Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev visited Saudi Arabia. There he met with his counterpart, Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif Al Saud, Vedomosti recalls. Dialogue at this level between the two countries was held for the first time, which indicates the growth of mutual trust. The parties discussed interaction in the field of fighting extremism and drug trafficking, as well as cooperation through Interpol. The discussion of security is particularly valuable, as it implies Saudi Arabia's readiness to diversify its efforts in this area without looking back at Washington.
"The development of economic relations has not lagged behind. Thus, only in January-July 2023 the trade turnover between the two countries increased by almost 20%, TASS recalls. OPEC+ contacts are also improving. This year Moscow and Riyadh have repeatedly consulted on setting the price of energy resources.
"Relations with another important state in the region — the UAE — are also improving. The country was a guest at SPIEF-2023. In June, a delegation from Abu Dhabi, including the Minister of Industry Sultan Al Jaber, visited Russia during the prestigious event. Later, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the Arab Emirates, arrived in St. Petersburg.
"Trade relations between Moscow and Abu Dhabi were also actively developing. Thus, in November, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov met with the UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, notes Interfax. Then it was also reported that the trade turnover of the two countries almost doubled in the first eight months of 2023.
"Relations with the Arab states reached a peak in December, when Vladimir Putin paid a visit to two countries of the region at once: Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This event was a kind of summarizing the results of the year, as well as the beginning of planning joint actions in the future. Judging by how warmly and royally the President was welcomed in these countries, our countries are indeed expecting a special boost in terms of joint development.
"In Abu Dhabi, Putin met again with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Russian leader said that the relations have reached an unprecedented high level and the UAE has become Russia's main trading partner in the Arab region. In response, the Emirati leader emphasized that the countries' dialogue is of a deep historical nature."
"Abu Dhabi And Riyadh Announced Their Accession To The BRICS Organization During The August Summit Of The Organization"
"In Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Putin took part in talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The leaders discussed cooperation in the field of energy, including cooperation in OPEC+, prospects for the implementation of the international North–South transport corridor and the kingdom's connection to it against the background that the implementation of the India-Arabia-Israel-Mediterranean Sea corridor under the auspices of the United States was in doubt.
"It is important to note that both countries have also shown genuine interest in joining non-Western integration institutions. In particular, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh announced their accession to the BRICS organization during the August summit of the organization. In addition to them, Egypt, another country in the Arab region, can be found among the new participants.
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"Cairo is also an important partner of Moscow in the Middle East. In March 2023, an agreement was signed to amend the agreement on the Russian industrial zone, which will allow resident companies to sell products manufactured on its territory inside Egypt, TASS recalls. It was decided to allocate about 9.5 billion rubles from the federal budget to service the initiative until 2026.
"Maintaining good relations with Cairo has become possible due to the personal sympathies of the country's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for Russia. His re-election for the third term raises hopes that cooperation with this state will continue to develop in a fruitful manner. However, Moscow's diplomatic activity in the region is not limited to Arab states alone.
"Russia is confidently developing relations with one of its closest partners, Iran, which will also join BRICS on January 1. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries met six times this year. Within the framework of the latest contact, a Declaration on the Ways and Means to Counter, Mitigate and Redress the Adverse Impacts of Unilateral Coercive Measures was signed."
"Moscow And Tehran Once Again Confirmed Their Common Vision Of A Multipolar Future By Opposing Western Hegemony"
"Moscow and Tehran once again confirmed their common vision of a multipolar future by opposing Western hegemony. Important shifts have also taken place in the energy sector. In May, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak discussed the prospects of partnership in the energy sector with the country's leadership during a two-day visit to Iran.
"He visited several factories producing oil and gas equipment and announced that he would keep 'under personal control' the development of joint infrastructure projects in the field of transportation and energy. Plans for cooperation within the OPEC+ framework were also discussed at the meeting with the country's Minister of Oil Javad Owji.
"The December talks between Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Moscow were marked by a kind of summing up of the year's results. The Russian leader noted that trade turnover between the two countries had grown to a five-billion-dollar record. Great progress was also achieved in infrastructure projects, in particular in the construction of the North-South railroad.
"The expert community notes that Moscow's diplomatic efforts to build up contacts with both the Arab world and Iran are well-founded. It is emphasized that in recent years Tehran has been trying to reduce the degree of contradictions with the Middle Eastern monarchies, which opens up tremendous opportunities for building up the partnership of the region's states with Russia.
"'The intensification of contacts with the UAE and Saudi Arabia can be considered as the most important achievement of national diplomacy in the Middle East this year. They are the undisputed leaders of the Arab world, dialog with which will allow Moscow to seriously strengthen its position in the international arena,' said economist Anton Lubich. 'Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are promising economic actors. With their help, Russia can overcome the negative impact of Western sanctions by increasing parallel imports. In addition, we are linked by quite close cooperation on the line of joint coordination of oil prices. The parties are interested in communicating with each other,' the expert emphasizes.
"'This is noticeable by the impressive rates of increase in trade turnover. Thus, with the UAE we had already reached the $9 billion mark by September 2023. This is ten times more than four years ago. Moreover, the potential of trade relations has not been exhausted yet. We are only at the beginning of a long and fruitful path,' the interlocutor believes.
"'Previously, our relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were based on temporary agreements. These countries did not have confidence that partnership with Russia could be profitable in the long term. Now we are gradually moving to a format of permanent cooperation: the fundamental documents are becoming permanent,' he specifies.
"'At the same time, Moscow continues to strengthen its relations with Tehran. Contrary to popular belief, this does not prevent us from building ties with the Arab world. In fact, Iran and the Middle Eastern monarchies do not have many disagreements. Their contacts have been developing in a positive way for the past few years,' Lubich says.
"'The parties are tired of tensions in the region and are trying to find common ground in dialogue with each other. We often act as mediators in this process.
"The current situation opens up a large number of opportunities. In particular, a huge number of infrastructure projects imply the creation of communication channels between Iran and Arab countries,' the economist emphasizes.
"'Next year, we need to work even harder to consolidate the successes achieved in the Middle East. It is necessary to create a Russian bank whose activities will be focused on supporting Russian companies in this region. This will allow Russian entrepreneurs to more easily integrate into local economic institutions,' Lubich emphasizes."
"Relations Between Russia And The Countries Of The Middle East Region Are Also Developing Due To Moscow's Balanced Position On The Conflict Between Israel And The Palestinian Hamas Movement"
"Relations between Russia and the countries of the Middle East region are also developing due to Moscow's balanced position on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken of the necessity to solve the contradictions between the two sides through negotiations and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
"The President has always emphasized the need to follow international legal acts that imply the existence of two sovereign states in the region — an Arab one and a Jewish one. At the same time, he noted that this should be achieved 'by peaceful means'. This point of view is traditional for Moscow and is sympathetic to most Middle Eastern states.
"'In Israel, they realize that Russia has real opportunities to influence the settlement of the current conflict. But from Tel Aviv's point of view, Moscow's position looks largely pro-Palestinian,' said Simon Tsipis, an Israeli expert on international relations and national security:
"'However, we understand: Russia is following its own national interests. This is the right decision for it. The country is choosing to build relations with states that serve as a counterweight to the US influence. But since Israel is not ready to sever relations with Washington, Moscow is cool towards many of Tel Aviv's initiatives.'
"Another important regional partner for Russia is Turkey. This year, cooperation with Ankara was marked by a major breakthrough in the energy sector. Moscow helped the country deliver nuclear fuel to the first unit of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant, one of the most important initiatives in bilateral relations over the past few years.
"Also by July this year, Russia had supplied Turkey with about 450,000 tons of diesel fuel, Reuters reported. In addition, about 37% of all gas imported to the country also comes from Moscow. And Turkey, in turn, helps Russia with parallel imports. Thus, the economic ties of the countries are progressing, although in the political plane both sides still have contradictions.
"For example, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks in Sochi in September. Following the meeting, the Russian leader announced a probable agreement between Moscow, Ankara and Doha in terms of grain supplies to African countries. Thus, a worthy alternative to the failed 'grain deal' used for their own purposes by Western countries and Zelensky's office was found.
"The way out of such a situation is an example of the broad abilities of Russian diplomacy, experts say. Moscow is ready to work with 'difficult' partners, finding compromises. And Russia, unlike the US and the EU, has always been very respectful of the national interests of the countries of the region. This diplomatic tradition of Moscow, along with its neutrality on the Palestinian issue, is especially appreciated by Turkey, Iran, Israel, and the countries of the Arab world.
"'The past year was unusually successful for Russia in terms of developing relations with the Middle East region. Our ties with Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have improved markedly. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have long since matured to pursue an independent foreign policy with no regard for partnership with the United States,' said Kirill Semenov, an orientalist and expert at the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs.
"'In this respect, Moscow acts as the brightest and wisest player, together with whom it is possible to defend the interests of a multipolar world. We have something to offer to the Middle East. Russian-Arab cooperation can potentially grow into extremely promising economic and energy projects,' the interlocutor specifies.
"'However, for this to happen, Russia needs to continue to strengthen its resolve to make a ‘U-turn to the South'.' Regional powers are used to perceiving Moscow as part of European civilization, and for them Russia's ‘exit' from close interaction with Western powers looks more like a temporary anomaly,' he stresses.
"'If we manage to change this opinion, the partnership with the Arab world will improve drastically. We already have experience of rapprochement with Iran, another Muslim and independent country. Tehran has also recently been moving towards contacts with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This opens up tremendous potential for us to develop cooperation,' the political analyst elaborates.
"'We have made good use of the window of opportunities that opened up. This was facilitated by our balanced position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Neutrality combined with readiness to support the creation of a Palestinian state inspires confidence in all key regional players,' the interlocutor emphasizes."
"'For a long time, Moscow and Ankara had to resolve the gravest contradictions in Libya, Syria and Karabakh – By now, we have already settled most of the disputes, and our relations are preparing for a new large-scale leap'"
"'Thus, for most representatives of the Middle East, we look like a more acceptable partner than the United States. We are more predictable: we follow the norms of international law, we do not pull the blanket over ourselves. The government of any self-respecting country will appreciate these qualities in its potential ally,' he notes.
"'By the way, it is precisely thanks to these qualities that we were able to reach an understanding with Turkey. For a long time, Moscow and Ankara had to resolve the gravest contradictions in Libya, Syria and Karabakh. By now, we have already settled most of the disputes, and our relations are preparing for a new large-scale leap,' the political scientist argues.
"'The development of cooperation in the field of nuclear energy was a good indicator of the intention of the two countries to continue developing partnership ties. Thus, the past year has all chances to be remembered as a highly successful time that laid the foundation for a powerful advancement of national diplomacy in the Middle East,' Semenov summarizes."
[1] M.vz.ru/world/2023/12/30/1245584.html, December 30, 2023.
