The winds of friendship and peace are blowing again in the Middle East. The world was shocked not by the new ways of unity between the two countries, but by the success of China’s diplomacy as the mediator of the new alliance. China stepped into the role of military and economic arbiter, which was occupied by the United States and Russia, beyond the imagination of many. With China cleverly using periodic fluctuations in US-Saudi relations, the two countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are moving on the path of peace. China’s diplomatic hijab has gone awry in the bloody hijab, and Iran, which is on the defensive in front of the world and in its own country in the height of the civil unrest, has given an opportunity to hold back for the time being and take a new step in Arab relations. China’s new step is a heavy blow to the diplomacy implemented by the United States in the Middle East for decades, seeing Iran as an enemy and Saudi Arabia as an ally. Last March, China succeeded in bringing Saudi Arabia and Iran to the negotiating table to sign a peace deal.
China’s Saudi-Iranian Diplomacy
In December 2022, the Saudi-Iranian friendship became more active with the mediation of China following the meeting held by Chinese President Xi Jinping with the 21 Arab League countries led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Although the discussions held in Iraq and later in Lebanon in 2021 are also the basis for this, the hijab bloodshed in Iran last September that created a questionable status quo hastened the discussions. Iran’s capitulation, which paves the way for reconciliation in the face of the prospect of overthrowing the imposing religious regime in the face of several international sanctions, may change the history of the Middle East in the coming days. Following Saudi’s demand for peace plans after seven years of conflict, China informed Iran that a fresh awakening was achieved. Last February, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi visited China with the aim of strengthening trade and economic ties, but the main objective was to restore Saudi-Iranian relations. Raisi is the first Iranian president to visit China since 2003.
Two different sects within Islam are strong in Saudi Arabia and Iran. Majority of Shia Muslims in Iran and Sunnis in Saudi Arabia. The conflict between these two Muslim sects is the main cause of the conflicts in the Middle East. China’s diplomatic debut is to bring these two groups together.
The Abraham Pact is an agreement between Israel and the Arab countries. In 2020, various Arab countries signed an agreement to ensure security and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world, fostering a culture of peace and developing friendly relations through cooperation and dialogue. On September 15, 2020, with the mediation of US President Donald Trump, the UAE met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Abraham signed the covenantal peace treaty. Diplomatic relations were established with Bahrain and Israel on the same day and a cooperation peace agreement was signed.
One by one, the Arab countries sympathized with the Israeli side, causing unrest in the extremist religious regimes. Even Saudi Arabia opened the airspace last year as part of its efforts to move toward an alliance with Iran’s arch-enemy, Israel. The fear of subjugating Israel’s influence in Arab countries also prompted Iran to cooperate with Saudi Arabia. This was a sting for China, who was eager to question America’s infallibility. On December 20, 2020, a similar historic agreement was signed and implemented between Morocco and Israel, brokered by the United States.
What about the peace treaty?
The peace agreement signed by Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Iran’s Hossein Amir Abullahian in Beijing on March 10 is very noteworthy. Following this, Iran opened an embassy and two consulates in Saudi Arabia on May 1. Soon, Saudi Arabia will open diplomatic institutions in Iran as well.
There will be no armed conflict. There will be no interference in the internal affairs of the two countries. The peace agreement also says that they should reach a settlement through mutual discussions on the issues of disagreement. It has been decided to resume flight services and issue travel visas. The Trade, Economic and Investment Agreement signed in 1998 will be reinstated. The security cooperation agreement signed in 2001 will be re-implemented.
As part of peace efforts, the Saudi-Oman delegation held talks with Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Sana’a, calling for an end to military interventions and requesting a cease-fire. As the Houthis are supported by Iran, the Houthis can only seek the path of reconciliation for the future negotiations. The new changes could put an end to the estrangement between Turkey and Saudi Arabia and the resentment of Arab countries including Qatar.
The meeting held by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus in the second week of April opens the way for reconciliation. An agreement was reached to end the Syrian war and resume diplomatic aviation relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia. It remains to be seen how the coming together of the world’s largest Islamic powers will affect the West Asian region and its ruling political and trade economies.
China’s Alignment Agendas
China has never had any military intervention in the Middle East. On the other hand, it has good trade relations with countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia. China is the biggest trading partner of both countries. Neither side has any hostility towards China due to the absence of military intervention. Therefore, China is mainly targeting the trade dispute between the two countries through the new mediation. It is unlikely that over time these countries will come within China’s sphere of influence, displacing the United States.
At the same time, Iran is responding to the sanctions imposed by the United States with the help of China. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, does not have as strong a relationship with the United States as it did during the George Bush era. China is establishing peace in the Middle East with political and trade goals. While various Arab countries welcome the peace efforts, Israel recognizes the hidden agendas behind them.
Israel is skeptical about the future effect of China’s influence in the Middle East by ousting the United States, which could create major repercussions in the future. But, a peace agreement was formed with the mediation of China, which the nations of the world had not even dreamed of.
Adv. V.C. Sebastian
#Changing #equations #Middle #East
2023-05-02 20:08:00
