... competitor. It is the Iranian influence that Saudis fear the most, it is the historical enemy of Saudi Arabia, and both countries have waged proxy wars in each of Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. It is the modern “Cold War” of the Middle-East. One of the reasons Saudi Arabia did not join the Astana initiative is that Iran is a founder. The Saudis does not fear a Russian influence in Syria, but they rather fear an Iranian one. Plus, Russians and Saudis have a lot to discuss and cooperate such as Oil and Gas markets, they have to deal openly at some point. It is in none favour to go into a confrontation in Syria or the Middle-East. As a result, the Saudis had started to view the Russian role in the Middle-East as stability guaranteer. The Saudis also ...
... for freeing up larger volumes of export crude (Saudi Arabia currently consumes over 25% of the oil it produces). Gas cooperation could turn out to be a more promising aspect of long-term cooperation. Russia could organise supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Saudi Arabia, along the lines of its current exports to other countries. Furthermore, Russia has recently signed a
memorandum of understanding
on LNG with Bahrain, which is Saudi Arabia's closest neighbour. According to earlier reports, Russia and Bahrain ...
... ideas. In this post, I will be using some of the standpoints highlighted at this year’s IMEMO RAN event; the “Oil & Gas Dialogue” (26/04/13). As usual, I will offer additional links to expand our discussion. It is almost a cliché,... ... – much more than modern OPEC at around 40%. Again, the third stage was followed by a transitional period of 1985 to 1986, as Saudi Arabia pushed for the net-back mechanism across not only petroleum products, but also crude oil. Saudis also began to reject ...