... Hamas, which has an ambiguous reputation in the Arab world. Cairo does not hold it in high regard, and Egypt’s current military leadership, not without reason, draws parallels between Palestinian radicals and the Muslim Brotherhood movement (banned in Russia) at home, which has been driven deep underground, but was, alongside Israel, among the founding fathers of Hamas. Damascus has not forgotten that at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Hamas sided with the political opposition rather than President ...
... the weight of Western sanctions and has grown even more reliant on oil revenues. To avoid diplomatic isolation and keep the Russian economy afloat, Moscow has been developing deeper ties with Riyadh via the OPEC+ format to regulate global oil market. Saudi Arabia recently threw its weight behind Russia and supported an OPEC+ decision to cut oil production, which works in Moscow’s favor and saw oil price soar. In response to Riyadh’s lending a hand to Moscow in a difficult time,
Biden warned the U.S. would be reevaluating its relations with ...
... Palestinian-Israeli conflict was agreed upon.
Of particular importance in the course of Middle East diplomacy is the position of Saudi Arabia, which, together with other Gulf states, has opportunities to exert pressure on the United States and Israel. Characteristically,... ... Palestinian state.” The Saudis do not detail what the Israeli commitments should be, leaving room for constructive negotiations.
Russia, which throughout the Arab-Israeli conflict has consistently pressed for a two-state settlement, welcomes the active participation ...
... held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the participation of the U.S., the UK, the EU, Turkey, Brazil, India, China and South Africa on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. It is noteworthy that representatives of Ukraine attended the meeting, while Russia did not receive an invitation. It became known from open sources that during the event Saudi Arabia
shared
its own ideas on ways to settle the conflict. In particular, there were calls for a ceasefire, ensuring Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and holding peace talks mediated by the UN.
On the one hand, such a diplomatic maneuver looks ...
... conducted away from public view, US attempts to contact its key regional adversary appears far from accidental. The move could have been prompted by changes in Iran’s relations with other countries, especially its evolving cooperation with China, Russia and Saudi Arabia. If any agreement has been reached (which is currently too early to judge), it would only boost Iran’s position in the region. The mere fact that the US is holding such talks indicates that it recognizes that regional changes are taking ...
... if properly developed, can lead to meaningful results.
So, late in December 2022, the defense and intelligence ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey met in Moscow. The meeting marked a beginning of the gradual buildup of relations between Ankara and ... ... the first time in the years of conflict, and the Egyptian president had his first telephone conversation with his Syrian peer. Saudi Arabia, for the first time sent, several planes with humanitarian aid to Syria, whereas Bashar Assad visited Oman for the ...
... primarily neighboring Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, have intensified. Syrian authorities have lifted restrictions on trade with Saudi Arabia and toned down their anti-Saudi rhetoric. Tellingly, with a belated and politicized Western response, 74% of urgent ... ... crossings from Turkish territory (Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai) to the northwest of Syria that is not under his government’s control.
Russia’s efforts have played an important role in the warming of political climate around Syria in the Arab world, as it has ...
June 28, 2021, 15:00 GMT+3
On June 28, 2021, Russian International Affairs Council and the Middle East Directions Programme at the European University Institute (EUI) will hold a webinar meeting “A Gradual Approach Towards a New Security System in the Persian Gulf”. Andrey Kortunov, Director ...
... the lifting sanctions on Iran is the oil market. As soon as Iran gets the opportunity to sell its oil, it will dramatically increase its market share. This will lower oil prices, as well as compel exporters to reduce their production. OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, will be forced to take additional measures to stabilize the market in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the return of Libyan and later Iranian oil. But the oil issue may also be a drag on Washington’s return to the JCPOA since ...
As the OPEC+ deal has expired, Russia and Saudi Arabia remain at odds, though the United States offered encouraging words that production cuts might be negotiated
The Russian-Saudi feud over oil production has destabilized the market even as the industry faces anemic demand and the potential ...