Kremlin: Russia, UAE, and KSA to establish economic cooperation

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
10 Dec 2023 16:47
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After Putin's visit to the Gulf, a Kremlin spokesperson revealed new economic prospects underway between Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Russia.

Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, foreground right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreground left, attend an official welcome ceremony at Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. (AP)

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reported that Russia is not in a position to disclose its economic ties with its Middle Eastern counterparts, as general hostility is expressed toward such partnerships.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Abu Dhabi and Riyadh earlier this week, sparking discussions to which Peskov replied, "Economic cooperation, despite all the interest, cannot be fully disclosed now, because there is a huge number of ill-wishers and a huge number of countries that want to put pressure on us, on our partners," he said to Rossiya 1 reporter Pavel Zarubin.

Peskov added that during Putin's trip, economic prospects with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia were presented, with the political will to strengthen ties between all involved parties.

"Both the Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are very important partners of ours in the Arab world. These are the countries that play an important role in stabilizing international energy markets, countries that have a huge impact on all regional affairs in one way or another," he said.

Iran and Russia: a counter-economic alliance

At a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow on Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that he and his Iranian counterpart have officially endorsed a document outlining measures to counteract sanctions, Sputnik reported last Tuesday.

"We have just signed a declaration on ways and means to counter, mitigate, and offset the negative consequences of unilateral coercive measures. This is certainly an important step in increasing coordination of efforts by members of the global community to overcome the illegal sanctions, with which the United States and its allies replaced diplomacy," Lavrov said.

The declaration between Russia and Iran, focusing on strategies to counter, alleviate, and offset the adverse effects of "unilateral coercive measures," was signed in Moscow. Amir-Abdollahian visited Moscow for discussions with the five Caspian states and engaged in bilateral talks with Russia.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak also told Rossiya 1 TV that Iran will sign a free trade agreement with Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member countries in December.

"Several important documents will be signed in the near future. In December - an agreement on a free trade zone between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union, and we will also soon reach a key document - this is an interstate agreement," Novak said.