Saudi Arabia Offers To Mediate Russian-Ukrainian Crisis
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with Gulf Cooperation Council countries in Riyadh following a visit to Bahrain
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries on Wednesday at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, where he will hold strategic dialogues with countries and global blocs, and discuss the latest regional and international developments.
The Gulf foreign ministers also will hold a videoconference meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, during which the Gulf countries will discuss the role of mediation in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, sources told The Media Line.
On Monday, Lavrov began a Gulf tour that includes Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, aimed at discussing several issues, most notably the stabilization of the neutral Gulf position on the Ukrainian crisis, and the continuation of current OPEC+ production levels.
During a meeting between the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and Lavrov, the Bahraini king confirmed, according to the Bahrain News Agency, that they discussed “the latest developments in the regional and international situations and challenges, in particular the situation in Ukraine.”
“His Majesty stressed the importance of resolving the conflict in Ukraine in a manner that achieves the interests of the two neighboring countries and the security and stability of the European continent, as well as international peace and security, and the need to resort to dialogue and diplomatic solutions in accordance with the rules of international law in order to reach a political settlement that ends the conflict, guarantees security and peace for all parties, preserves the lives of civilians and delivers peace,” according to the Bahrain News Agency. They also discussed humanitarian and relief aid for refugees and displaced persons.
The Russian participation in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states comes in the context of a Russian effort to maintain a balanced Gulf position on the Ukrainian crisis
Lavrov also discussed the global food shortage stemming from the Russo-Ukrainian war with Bahraini leaders.
“The Russian Navy can guarantee the unhindered passage of ships loaded with grain from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, but Kyiv must solve the problem of removing mines from the waters,” the Russian foreign minister said during a news conference in Manama on Tuesday with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani.
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“Russia did everything in its power to solve the world’s food problem.” he added
“At the request of our friends, we reported in detail about the latest developments, including the food situation, and talked about the measures taken by the Russian side for more than a month, ensuring the free export of Ukrainian grain by ships now parked in Ukrainian ports. But for this, it is necessary that the Ukrainian representatives clear the coastal waters in the territorial sea of Ukraine of mines,” Lavrov also said.
The Russian foreign minister revealed that he discussed with his Bahraini counterpart issues related to economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, and that his discussions with the Bahraini side touched on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the need to settle it. “We must support the revival of the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.
Al-Zayani said during the news conference that he and Lavrov discussed regional and international developments and issues of common concern, including the Palestinian issue, Yemen, Syria, regional security and Iran’s nuclear program.
“International efforts must be continued to achieve security and stability in the Middle East, in particular towards pushing the peace process in the Middle East to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and to establish a Palestinian state in accordance with the two-state solution and the resolutions of international legitimacy,” Al-Zayani added
In a meeting between Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Lavrov in Riyadh on Tuesday, the Saudi minister affirmed the kingdom’s readiness to lead the necessary mediation to contribute to a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
Farhan stressed, according to the Saudi Press Agency, “the Kingdom’s position based on the foundations of international law and its support for efforts aimed at reaching a political solution that ends the crisis and achieves security and stability, and that the kingdom is ready to make the necessary efforts to contribute to a political solution to the crisis.”
Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, head of the Gulf Research Center, told Gulf media: “The Russian participation in the meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council states comes in the context of a Russian effort to maintain a balanced Gulf position on the Ukrainian crisis.”
Russia wants to maintain a balanced position of the Gulf states, as the Gulf states cannot accept aggression against an independent state, but at the same time understands Russia’s concern about having an enemy government or foreign forces on its borders, Sager adds. He says that Russia will not allow unsafe land and sea borders and that the Gulf states understand Russia’s motives from a national security perspective. Still, the aggression and occupation of an independent state cannot be accepted, he says.
Saad Rashid, a Bahraini political analyst, told The Media Line that “the visit of the Russian foreign minister to the countries of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia reveals the extent of the development of Russian-Gulf relations.”
“The files that were discussed confirm that the Gulf countries are still neutral regarding the Ukrainian crisis, and that Russia appreciates this, and that is why it stands by the Gulf countries in their important files such as the Iranian nuclear file, the Yemeni crisis, the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.” Rashid said.
Russia and the Gulf countries have continued their coordination on issues such as oil production despite the situation with Ukraine.
“The Russian-Gulf coordination is at a high level, and there is an upcoming OPEC+ meeting, and it seems that positions are still united about not raising oil production, despite the increase in global demand after recovering from the coronavirus and the return of life to normal,” Mutlaq al-Enezi, a Saudi writer and political analyst, told The Media Line.
“Lavrov praised several days ago the position of the Arab countries on the Ukrainian crisis, a position that the Gulf states will maintain throughout the crisis. The opportunities are great in increasing the joint Russian-Gulf investment.” Enzi added.
“The Gulf countries have made great strides in balancing their international relations with cooperation with China, and we may see more military cooperation through arms deals or other fields,” he also said.
