Alwaght- Over the past decade, while American administrations have been moving to a strategic exit from West Asia region and focusing on East Asia to contain China, Russia doubled its efforts to upgrade its relations with the Arab countries in such areas as energy, security, food, and arms. One of he platforms facilitating these relations is Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum that is held every several years to boost the ties between the two sides.
As the sequel to the previous ones, on Wednesday, the forum was held in Morocco with the presence of foreign ministers.
The participants in the meeting discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Arab countries and Russia in various fields. They evaluated the “exceptional level” of Arab-Russian relations as “good” and at the same time highlighted the importance of continued coordination for the good of bilateral relations as well as promoting growth and prosperity.
According to Moroccan news agency, the two sides discussed the issues between the two sides in accordance with the current processes.
The UAE minister of state for foreign affairs announced that considerable achievements have been made in various areas as a result of cooperation and coordination between the Arab countries and Russia “and this meeting underscored the possible opportunities to improve collaborative relations.”
As expected, Gaza developments were one of the matters discussed in the meeting, with the two sides hoping that the UN Security Council draft resolution be adopted. They also called on the US to stop blocking the resolution.
This regional forum is held based on a MoU signed between Arab League and Russia in 2009.
Besides hosting business meetings and seminars that lead to bilateral agreements, the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum discusses the cooperation between Arab countries and Russia.
Over the past years, the forum gained further weight and significance as a platform for coordination and interaction on various regional and international matters since it takes into account the interests and priorities like trade and economy that bind the Arab countries and Russia in political fields.
Russia’s efforts to strengthen its relations with the Arab countries, especially the Persian Gulf monarchies, in the past two years are driven by the geopolitical changes in the world, and the Russians are trying to bring to their side the Arab countries in the new world order led by Moscow and Beijing.
The Persian Gulf Arab countries have always been in the Western camp and adjusted their policies with those of the White House, and in the current world where Moscow and Washington are looking for regional alliances, the Russians have stepped up their diplomatic activities.
Kremlin leaders are trying to increase their political weight in the world order by creating a gap between these countries and Washington. Russia’s meeting with the members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council last July and now the meeting with the Arab countries is a wake-up call to the US that Moscow is powerfully entering a region where the US has sway.
Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, Russia has strengthened its relations with Persian Gulf monarchies, and when it comes to oil production within the framework of OPEC+, the Arabs have been more aligned with Moscow’s policies. In a sign of the importance of these countries’ relations with Moscow, Saudi Arabia and the UAE last year rejected the US government’s request to pump more oil to control rallying prices in global markets, angering White House officials and driving a wedge between Riyadh and Washington.
Additionally, Arab countries did not comply with the Western sanctions on Russia despite the US duress. Over the past two years, for example, the Russian-Emirati relationship grew remarkably. Russian President Vladimir Putin in his last month visit to the UAE described the relationship with Abu Dhabi unprecedented. Even the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the UAE has significantly increased its relations with Moscow in the midst of Ukraine war and has made many progress in this field. Therefore, Russia is trying to circumvent Western sanctions and strengthen its position against Washington by boosting its relations with Arab countries.
At a time some Arab countries have voiced their opposition to large-scale Western support to the Israeli regime in Gaza, Russia finds a good opportunity to deepen the Arab gap with the US and improve relations with the Arab world through support to the Palestinians against Tel Aviv crimes in Gaza.
Anti-Iranian delusion in Arab-Russian forum
Though the forum was focused on expansion of Arab-Russian relations, as ever, the delusion of some Arab countries about Iranian territorial integrity reflected themselves in the ending statement. Part of the statement referred to three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf, repeating the UAE claims about their ownership. This statement supported the so-called peaceful solutions and initiatives aimed at solving the so-called island dispute.
The statement and claims drew strong reaction from Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Naser Kanani who dismissed the claims as unfounded and condemned them.
“The Iranian islands of Abu Musi, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb, located in the waters of the Persian Gulf, belong to Iran forever and are an inseparable part of Iran’s territory,” Kanani said.
In recent years, the UAE has regularly made legitimate claims over islands in international and regional meetings to make the case a legal issue. Meanwhile, it is a surprise why Russia that has very close relations with Iran backed the Emirati claim, though symbolically.
In the meeting between Russia and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council last July, Russia, in final statement with the Arab representatives, called for the resolution of the disputes over the three islands based on international laws, which was met with a strong reaction from the Islamic Republic. The repetition of these anti-Iranian positions in less than six months is against the principles of bilateral relations and the strategic treaty which the Russians are trying to sign with Iran these days.
Russia’s position comes while Iran has been accused by the West of military and weapons cooperation with Moscow in the Ukraine war, and Tehran has taken principal positions about the need for the Western countries to take into consideration Moscow’s security interests concerning the threat of NATO expansion eastward, but a country like the UAE not only has not declared neutrality, but also provided assistance to Kiev in order to gain the Western favor. Political experts recommend that Kremlin officials should pay more attention to these controversial issues when pursuing their regional policies.
“Russia’s recent action and support to the positions of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states regarding the three islands show that there is some confusion in Moscow’s regional policy. Despite the fact that the members of the Cooperation Council are submissive to the policies of the United States, in recent years, these countries have used Russia as a trump card in the confrontation with Iran. Russia, disregarding its strategic interests with the Islamic Republic, has taken the wrong path of alignment to the Arab countries of Persian Gulf, and this issue will impact its interests in the future,” said West Asia affairs expert Hassan Hanizadeh.
Maintaining that Iran is one of the Russian allies against the Western hegemony, Hanizadeh added that the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf can never be a reliable partner for the Russians.
“Russia’s foreign policy is not balanced and includes some fleeting and regional interests. This country has always committed to partnership with Iran more than the Persian Gulf countries in security, economic and political fields, and therefore Moscow’s alignment with the Arabs [against Iran] is harmful to Russia’s interests. The three islands are part of Iran’s national sovereignty, and the claim of the UAE and other Arabs in the region is a false claim under the influence of the pressure of the United States and the Israeli regime, which is raised from time to time. But these allegations are of no least value to Iran in terms of regional laws,” he continued.
Hanizadeh suggested that Russia and Arab countries play tactics with each other, adding that Moscow does not trust the Arabs, but sometimes tries to attract them to its side with stances aligned to their policies. Still these countries will not move out of the US and Israeli orbit. The Russian positions are close to those of Iran and as a party with decades of friendly relationship with the Islamic Republic, Moscow will not be affected by these Arab stances. Now, it remains to wait and see the next Russian move to mend their position towards Iran.
