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29-Mar-2024
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UAE to Increase Ties with Russia 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, met with Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin.The two discussed co-operation between the UAE and Russia as well as tackling overall regional and international issues of mutual interests.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted the crown prince of Abu Dhabi for talks which were to focus on the Syrian crisis. Welcoming Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the start of Thursday's Kremlin meeting, Putin hailed ties with the United Arab Emirates, adding that Moscow was willing to expand them. The crown prince noted that Moscow plays an important role in the Middle East and voiced hope that cooperation between the UAE and Russia could help stabilize the region and solve the crises in Syria. Putin last week had ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian  forces from Syria.

after more than five months of air strikes that helped tip the balance in the conflict with rebels. The pullout gave a “new impetus” to the negotiations between the government and opposition, according to the UN. The UAE countries are infuriated with the US strategists attempting to disintegrate Syria.

Putin discussed the Syrian peace process with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the deputy supreme commander of U.A.E. armed forces, at the meeting in Moscow Thursday. Russia is ready for dialogue with the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee and has invited it to Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanovsaid.

The mutually benefiting relations between UAE and the US had been in pleasant terms for at least 80 years until the current President of the United States Mr. Barack Obama recently said some provocative statements in an interview. He accused that Saudi Arabia was interfering in the foreign policy of the US and that they are nourishing intolerance by giving financial backing to the Islam extremists. A huge anti-US upsurge has been echoing in the Gulf countries ever since. 

The first to respond to Obama’s comments was the Saudi royal family member and previous Saudi Arabia ambassador in both US and UK, Prince Al Faizal. He retorted that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are not under the mercy of the US. Al Faizal demanded to know how it is a sin to give financial support to those patriots fighting against the IS and how it is an international criminal offense that they’re giving asylum to Syrian refugees. 

Trailing this response, the Kuwait royal family member and National Defence Head Sheikh Thameer Al Thaba also

retaliated,  saying that Obama’s insensitive comments insult the Arabic citizens, many of who have given up their lives, become martyrs fighting the global menace of Islamic State militants. He said that unimaginable amounts of money are being spent by the Arabic countries to fight against terrorism and extremism. Al Thaba also added that even after the Arabs have welcomed the US into their earth, skies and oceans, the degrading comments by Obama that labelled them as scroungers, can only be considered a “diplomatic ingratitude.”

As the unpleasant attitude against the United States boils up in the Gulf Cooperative Council countries of UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman, it was an interesting event when no one from the government was present to receive a US aircraft carrier with 5000 soldiers that had anchored at the Dubai Harbour.

While the anti-US wave has recently been prominent in the Arabic countries, the meeting is expected to bring UAE closer to Russia in both economic and military relations. The oil crisis has also been a worrying topic in the Russia-UAE meeting.

Last month, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had received Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia and members of his delegation on Tuesday at Al Bahr Palace. The discussion included the topics of the UAE-Russian bilateral relations and finding ways of bolstering and promoting them in light of the excellent ties and common interests of the two countries.

Prior to the Gulf War, Kuwait was the only "pro-Soviet" state in the Gulf. Kuwait acted as a conduit for the Soviets to the other Gulf states and Kuwait was used to demonstrate the benefits of a pro-Soviet stance.