Al-Etihad, UAE, June 8
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow with Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. The two leaders signed a declaration to launch of a strategic partnership revolving around oil prices, trade ties, and security cooperation. This meeting marks an important milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries. Most symbolic was the timing of this summit, which came in the wake of Russia’s clash with Iran over the latter’s presence in Syria. The Kremlin already ordered all Iranian troops in Syria to immediately withdraw, as Russian forces begin preparing the Assad regime to take over areas once controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. This change in Russia’s foreign policy would have not been possible without the steadfast Saudi-Emirati commitment to curbing Iran’s involvement in the region. While Moscow and Tehran seemingly had synchronized policies in Syria, the Kremlin now publicly opposes Iran’s presence in the war-torn country. As Moscow increasingly distances itself from Tehran, its ties with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are growing closer and closer. The recent memorandum on oil production signed between Putin and Prince al-Nahyan is a testament to this changing dynamic. Despite an OPEC-wide decrease in oil production agreed to last year in an effort to curb falling prices, both the Russian and Emirati governments are determined to increase output in their respective countries to stabilize the cost per barrel. Indeed, this may very well be the beginning of a new era. –Abdallah bin Bujad al-Oteibi