... greatest of these changes is the China-mediated rapprochement between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Given that these countries are regional “centers of power”, their new and... ... 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... ... relations is Turkey’s foreign policy. Particularly important, is Turkey’s position on Syria prior to the presidential elections in May 2023, and the new aspects it has now...
The parties to the Syrian conflict must understand that it is impossible to reach ... ... shadow of global crises, all exacerbated by the standoff between Russia and the West over Ukraine. The recent tragedy that befell ... .... Syria remains an arena for score-settling between Israel and Iran, Turkey and the Kurdish militias, as well as the geopolitical ... ... Syria, the maintenance of hidden channels of communication between Saudi Arabia and Iran with the assistance of Arab partners, the ...
... region would determine the future of conflicts in many countries starting from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and the future government in Lebanon, Iraq and Algeria, Turkey and Iran
“When I thought I had already reached the bottom,
they knocked from below... ... Middle East will undergo a high risk of conflict in spheres of influence between Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and other rising regional powers which seek to play a pivotal... ... interconnected and feed into one another. However, evidence of increased contact with Russia by countries like Egypt and Jordan should be taken in the context of the US disengagement...
... the Saudis understand this very well. This means that the Saudis must deal with Russia in order to achieve what they want in Syria, or at least preserve the minimum of their interests over there. The other Saudi option is to leave the Syrian field for Iran and Turkey and totally detach themselves from Syria and its ongoing war. To Saudi Arabia, Russia is not an enemy nor a fierce 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” ...
On October 5, 2017, along with the historical visit of the King of Saudi Arabia to Moscow, several events were held to focus on the current state of relations and prospects for development of relations ... ... development of relations between Moscow and Riyadh.
The first half of the day was marked by the closed seminar organized by Russian International Affairs Council and King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (Saudi Arabia). The event focused ...
...
The Prince’s office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation immediately refuted the reports, but certain differences between the two countries do exist. Moscow continues to support President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. Because of Russia’s stance on Syria, the Arab world perceives it as an ally of Shiite Iran. Saudi Arabia, for its part, cooperates in Syria with varied Sunni groups whose aim is to change the power in the country.
Another potential source of discord are direct shipments of Russian arms to Iran, particularly of S-300 and other surface-to-air ...
... game of one-upmanship against the US from Europe to the Middle East. Russia’s desire to be a global power requires a more nuanced and long term view; especially of the second and third order effects of its actions.
For the GCC states, and especially Saudi Arabia, Russian backing of Iran (through sale of sophisticated military equipment) and its military and political support of the Syrian regime is of grave concern. The nuclear deal has only emboldened Iran’s aggressive actions and seen an uptick in its support for terrorist groups throughout the region. The campaign by the Syrian regime against its own people has had a devastating ...
... unbalancing of regional security may entail an aggravation of current crises and an exacerbation of nascent tensions, pushing Russia and the U.S. towards big decisions as early as this year. As a matter of fact, both the Kremlin and the White House would have to make choices momentous for themselves and the region.
The Syrian settlement is dangerously moving off the rails of the Vienna process, as Iran and Saudi Arabia, its key regional members, are losing the incentives to fulfill their obligations.
To this end, Syria and Yemen ...
... International and
Energy Studies (DERASAT)
Though from a GCC perspective the main sticking point that has hampered these ties from reaching its potential has been Russian/Iranian relations. This has been the case especially more so in the Syrian context. With Russia entering the Syrian conflict on the side of Bashar and Iran, a recent poll in Saudi Arabia showed that Russia has become extremely unpopular
[11]
.
The GCC States have been involved in trying to settle the conflict in one way or another since the start of the protests in Syria. Each GCC State has played a different role with different ...
