During his visit to the UAE on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin applauded progress in industrial cooperation with the UAE, particularly regarding the construction of industrial facilities in both countries. He also recognised the UAE’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and its contribution to global stability.
Additionally, Putin met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) on Wednesday to discuss oil, Gaza, and Ukraine, just hours after visiting Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbour, the UAE.
Russia-UAE Talks
Putin praised the unprecedented growth of bilateral relations with the UAE as he began talks with President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
He said, “today, our relations have reached unprecedented heights. You and I are in constant contact, and our colleagues work together on a permanent basis.”
According to Putin, the UAE is Russia’s most important trade partner among the Arab countries. Bilateral trade increased by 67.7% last year, the Russian president said, expressing hope that the increase would be even greater this year.
Putin further hailed industrial cooperation with UAE, “there is also progress in industrial cooperation, by which I mean cooperation to build certain industrial facilities in the UAE and in the Russian Federation. A number of major oil and gas projects are being implemented. We also cooperate through OPEC Plus.”
“As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UAE makes a huge contribution to stabilising the situation in the world,” the Russian leader stated.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia began a rare trip on Wednesday to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, two nations that have resisted pressure to take sides in the Ukraine war. The talks touched on international crises, primarily the Israel-Hamas war. https://t.co/O8h5siZy32
— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 6, 2023
Additionally, Moscow and Abu Dhabi place a high value on humanitarian ties, Putin said, adding that nearly 1 million Russian tourists visited the UAE last year and that a Russian-language school had been opened there.
During the meeting, Putin said that he is looking forward to welcoming President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the BRICS summit in Kazan in 2024.
“I am very pleased to see that the United Arab Emirates is beginning its work in the BRICS system. Russia will chair the organisation in 2024,” he remarked.
Putin told the UAE president that he will discuss the situation in hot spots, including Ukraine, as well as the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Energy, Infrastructure Among Areas of Cooperation with Russia: UAE Pres.
UAE President Zayed Al Nahyan, said that his country is paying special attention to cooperation with Russia in the fields of energy and advanced technologies. “Promoting development in energy, infrastructure, and high technologies, as well as elsewhere has special priority,” he stressed.
The UAE is Russia’s top investor and trade partner in the Middle East, the president noted. “The Emirates is the largest partner of Russia in the region of the Middle East and also the largest investor in its economy,” he said, adding that the UAE’s investments in Russia’s non-oil sector increased by 103% in the last year.
Furthermore, Al Nahyan stated that his country and Russia have been cooperating and working together within various international frameworks. “We work together within BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where the Emirates were granted dialogue partner status in May 2023. We are also developing and promoting the strategic dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Gulf Cooperation Council,” he claimed.
HRH the Crown Prince receives the President of the Russian Federation and held a meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) December 6, 2023
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Saudi-Russia Talks
Putin and Saudi Crown Prince MbS met at the Al Yamamah Palace, Riyadh, and addressed the development of bilateral relations. Putin also suggested that the situation in the region should be discussed. In addition, he invited MbS to visit Russia, which the Crown Prince accepted.
“Much has happened in our relations during this time, but over the past seven years, they have certainly reached a truly unprecedented level.” Putin said. “We have stable, very good ties in political interaction, the economy and in humanitarian area,” he added.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin and MbS discussed cooperation within OPEC+. “The parties agree that our countries shoulder an enormous responsibility for cooperation so as to support the international energy market at a proper level and in a stable and predictable condition. This cooperation will be continued,” he said.
Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue their investment cooperation without disclosing its specifics due to “a large number of haters,” Peskov said.
Peskov claimed Russian and Saudi diplomats are preparing a final document on the outcome of the Riyadh talks, which will not include any “peace initiatives.”
“Our diplomats and their Saudi colleagues are in contact, considering a possible joint document. However, the goal is more to summarise the common understanding that was reached during the talks. It’s not about any joint peace initiatives,” he claimed.