/ world today news/ On Wednesday, December 6, the Russian president will visit the United Arab Emirates and this will be just the beginning of a series of meetings of the Russian head of state with colleagues from the countries of the Middle East. These meetings have a rich and important agenda, but among other things, we are facing “a demonstration to the West of the futility of its attempts to isolate Russia,” experts say.
In the next few days, Vladimir Putin will complete a veritable Middle East diplomatic marathon. On December 6, he will visit the UAE (where he will meet with the country’s president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan), as well as Saudi Arabia, where he will talk with the de facto head of state, Mohammed bin Salman. And then on December 7, the Russian president will talk with his Iranian counterpart, who will fly to Moscow.
The Russian presidential aide on foreign policy, Yuriy Ushakov, called these contacts “very relevant and extremely important.” And there is no doubt about that.
First of all, because they are happening at an extremely interesting time – in a period of fatigue and irritation in the Middle East towards the Americans. Especially since the USA and Europe took an absolutely pro-Israel position in the conflict between Tel Aviv and Hamas.
“The selective approach we have witnessed in applying international legal and moral standards, as well as ignoring the heinous crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces against defenseless Palestinian civilians, has enraged the Islamic and Arab world,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.
Putin, with his balanced approach, commands only respect. Therefore, there is no doubt that negotiations with him will be held at the most respectable level. That is, no all-night hanging around to meet the head of state (as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken experienced in KSA) and no waiting on the plane until someone deigned to meet the high-ranking guest on the ramp (which fell to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Qatar). Putin will be received at the highest level in the Middle East (just as he was with President Raisi in Moscow),
In fact, the topic of Gaza will be one of the main topics of all three meetings. “All three countries are in a region where the conflict between Israel and Palestine continues. It continues – and has every opportunity to expand to other countries. Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are not interested in a major war, and neither is Russia, so Putin will discuss with the leadership of these countries how to avoid this scenario,” explains international political scientist Elena Suponina.
In addition, Moscow can act as a new mediator in the cessation of hostilities. “The visit comes at a time when Russia is looking to strengthen its role as a powerful mediator in the Middle East conflict,” writes The Times of Israel. It should also step up at a time when the previous mediator has failed.
“Hamas, considered a terrorist group by most Western countries, has good relations with Russia and often sends delegations to Moscow. Qatar, which the West relied on as a negotiator with Hamas, could not find grounds for a further exchange of hostages between Israel and the Palestinian group (which was a prerequisite for a second humanitarian pause). Therefore, Putin has nothing to lose by intervening now, writes the British “Guardian”. “The crisis represents an opportunity for Russia to re-enter global politics, presenting itself as an unexpected defender of a multilateral solution to the situation in the Middle East,” adds the publication.
And the region needs such mediators. “The Middle East is mired in conflicts and without the help of the Russian Federation and China it cannot be resolved. The States are unreliable in this regard, they relied on war – both in Ukraine and in Palestine,” explains political scientist Abbas Juma
The second topic is oil. “There are several themes here. First, the fate of the OPEC+ agreement. A strategic question must be discussed: what will OPEC+ do next? After all, while we cut production, keeping prices high, other countries take advantage and increase production, taking our place in the market. Accordingly, we have to decide whether we will continue to reduce production or somehow change our position,” explains Igor Yushkov, a lecturer at the Financial University and an expert at the National Energy Security Fund.
The issue of production quotas for Iran can be discussed separately. “Tehran has said that in 2024 it intends to reach the pre-crisis volume of oil production and exports. It is now not subject to the production quota as it is under sanctions. But if it reaches pre-sanction production levels, then maybe it’s time to put restrictions on it like everyone else. In addition, on Thursday, the Russian leadership will meet with the representative of Iran in Moscow, where this issue will also be raised,” continues Igor Yushkov.
Also, according to Yushkov, the issue of circumventing sanctions will be discussed. The expert explains that parallel imports take place through the UAE, many traders of Russian oil are registered in the UAE, so coordination of actions is necessary.
The third topic is BRICS. “President Putin is meeting with the heads of state who, from January 1, 2024, are expected to join the BRICS (where Russia became the chairman from the New Year). BRICS offers an alternative view of how international politics should be structured. The member countries of the organization are united by the desire to free themselves from the hegemony of the United States, as well as to create a kind of union of mutual understanding with others who have gotten rid of it. Developing economic cooperation and trade interaction,” says Suponina.
Finally, another demonstration of the lack of any isolation of Russia will be a kind of icing on the cake. Especially through visits to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“Putin’s visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia is the most important stage in the development of relations between our countries. But it is also a demonstration to the West of the futility of its attempts to isolate Russia,” says Abbas Juma. “This visit demonstrates Putin’s growing confidence in being able to travel outside of Russia, despite all US and European efforts to isolate him on the world stage,” Bloomberg fumed.
He’ll get used to it.
Translation: V. Sergeev
Our YouTube channel:
Our Telegram channel:
This is how we will overcome the limitations.
Share on your profiles, with friends, in groups and on pages.
#Middle #East #presents #Russia #number #opportunities
