Page 12 - MEOG Week 10 2022

MEOG POLICY MEOG

Russia begin to affect the entire GCC region. Syria
Despite the UAE desire to keep its relations Syria voted against the UN General Assembly
with Russia to at least an “acceptable” level, the resolution, preferring to stand with its partner
US defence of the Gulf country against recent Russia. The move was expected and comes as
attacks by the Yemeni Houthi group (together a “reward” for Russian support of the Assad
with Russian silence on the matter) has also regime in its intense war against Western-backed
played a role in the UAE decision not to esca- forces.
late tensions with the US and to vote against However, the consequences of such a deci-
the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the General sion will be harsh on Syria if the economic sanc-
Assembly. tions against its military ally distract or weaken
the Russians. Black Sea trade will be disrupted
Saudi Arabia and the Syrians will have to pick more expensive
After days of silence, Saudi Arabia voted to con- options to buy the grain they need – purchases
demn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the UN that are vital to avoid any humanitarian crisis in
General Assembly. The Saudi position is impor- the war-torn country.
tant given its large oil capacities amid a potential
crisis in energy markets that will affect almost Iran
every country, especially those of Europe. Iran abstained from the vote on the Russian
Riyadh has been trying to strike a balance aggression on Ukraine in the UN General
between its political interests and the benefits it Assembly. Tehran has always preferred to
is currently enjoying from record-high oil prices. strengthen its ties with Russia in the past, mainly
The Saudis welcome the OPEC+ decision that to evade Western sanctions.
targets increases of 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) It was clear on this occasions that the Iranian
each month. wanted to show support for Russia, but at the
Despite the Saudi vote in the UN General same time not to anger the West, with which it
Assembly, it is clear that the Saudis would prefer has been rebuilding trust lately. The US and its
not to show a hostile attitude towards Moscow allies could have reactivated sanctions on Tehran
and would prefer to end the crisis as soon as pos- if the latter had chosen to support Russia openly
sible to preserve their trade and military stakes and vote against the resolution. The Iranian deci-
in both camps. This was obvious when Saudi sion to abstain from the vote took into consider-
Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman showed ation the future of economic cooperation with
the readiness of his country to act as a mediator Russia in renewable energy projects.
in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis after he received
phone calls from both leaders on Thursday. Qatar
Qatar voted against the Russians. The GCC
Israel country weighed up its interests and preferred
The Israelis voted to condemn the Russian inva- to stand with the US and its allies.
sion of Ukraine in the UN General Assembly. The energy crisis in Europe resulting from
The move was expected as Tel Aviv is keen to the war could potentially allow the Qataris
preserve its deep alliance with the US and the to increase their LNG exports. However, it is
West, which is also linked to ideology and liberal unclear until now whether this could in practice
Western values. take place, as the Qataris had announced earlier
On the other hand, the Israelis do not want that their production and export capacity could
to escalate their position to show aggressiveness not currently be extended to meet Europeans’
toward Russian interests in the region, especially growing needs.
in Syria where both Israel and Iran depend on However, Doha might be looking for an
Moscow to enhance their power. It won’t be a opportunity to mediate between Russia and
surprise if the Israelis actively engage in medi- Ukraine, drawing upon its good relations with
ation attempts between the two adversaries, Western partners while maintaining a window
but the question will be the extent to which the of opportunity for containing Russian anger,
Russians can accept such attempts, given the which could harm the small country’s national
long strategic partnership between Tel Aviv and security given the strong relationship between
Washington. Russia and Qatar’s neighbour Iran. ™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 10 09•March•2022