... abstained from voting on a UN resolution condemning Russia for conducting a special military operation in Ukraine. Abu Dhabi also ignores Washington’s anti-Russian sanctions. In response, the U.S. Department of the Treasury openly criticized the UAE and imposed sanctions on several Emirati organizations. Recently, personal contacts between UAE and Russian leaders have become more frequent, particularly by expressing mutual support during crisis situations. The UAE has demonstrated its commitment to using different ...
... mixed reactions. Some experts
not
ed the UAE’s “long game on Syria”, possibly as a counter to its regional rival Iran, while others
have already speculated
about al-Assad’s attempts to find an alternative to the sanctioned Russia.
Why the UAE?
Ruslan Mamedov:
U.S. and EU Sanctions against Syria
Currently, the United Arab Emirates is the only Arab Gulf nation to have been visited by President Assad during the Syrian conflict (in March 2022), with both countries witnessing the largest number of reciprocal visits on a high ...
... towards Damascus. Thus, the UAE, having restored its official contacts with Syria, resumed the work of its embassy in Damascus, develop cooperation at the level of intelligence services, and outlined business projects. Now, these projects are at risk of sanctions. For the UAE, Damascus is important for several reasons, the most important of which is the regional confrontation with Turkey. An arc of instability across the Mediterranean, in which Turkey and the UAE stand on opposite sides of the barricade, is helping Damascus ...
... 13, this time near the Iranian coast, two more tankers flying the flags of the Marshall Islands and Panama were attacked. The incidents occurred against the backdrop of another exacerbation in U.S.–Iran relations and the United States imposing more sanctions on Tehran.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for either of the incidents. As is often the case today, it has not been possible to identify the perpetrators, and military experts are still debating the weapons used in each attack. Without any ...