Lavrov to open Middle East tour with working trip to UAE

09 March 2021

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a series of meetings on Tuesday during his working trip to the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi will be the first stop on the Russian Foreign Minister's tour of the Arabian Peninsula, which also includes visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.


Russia and the countries of the Persian Gulf have close contacts. Thus, this winter the Foreign Ministers of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar visited Moscow. The program of Lavrov's stay in Abu Dhabi includes talks with Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.


New prospects for cooperation


According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov's meetings in the UAE should become an important part of the bilateral political dialogue, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains "regular contacts of trust" with the leaders of the Arabian monarchies.


In particular, the sides will discuss further strengthening of business cooperation in accordance with the agreements reached earlier at the highest level. Despite the difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic, bilateral trade turnover between Russia and the UAE increased by 78% in 2020 and, as stressed in Smolensk Square, "reached a historical maximum of $3.27 billion." The Russian side also confirms existing plans to hold the next plenary session of the bilateral intergovernmental commission on trade, economic and technical cooperation this year. The previous meeting of the commission was held in October 2019.


Cooperation between Russia and the UAE in the investment sphere is developing, including through the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Projects worth $2.3 billion have been implemented within the framework of joint platforms with specialized structures of the UAE, the Russian diplomatic office reminded.


The parties will also consider coordination of new projects in a number of sectors such as energy, industry, agriculture, infrastructure, the peaceful use of space. "The demand for interregional cooperation between Russia and the mentioned Arab states will be emphasized," the Russian diplomatic mission pointed out.


Special attention will be paid to activating cultural and humanitarian ties. "An important stimulating factor in this regard is a visa-free regime with the UAE and Qatar for holders of ordinary passports," the Foreign Ministry noted.


Use of Russian vaccines


The expansion of cooperation in fighting coronavirus infection is expected to play a significant role in the negotiations. If at the time of the meeting of the two ministers in December of last year, the Russian vaccine Sputnik V was in the Emirates in the third phase of tests, today it is among those approved for use in the country along with products by Chinese company Sinopharm and US company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The UAE ranks third in the world in terms of the percentage of the vaccinated population - about 65%.


In addition, part of the international clinical trials of the Sputnik Light vaccine are taking place in the UAE. Three thousand people from the Emirati side will take part in them. Sputnik Light is a lighter version of Sputnik V and requires only one shot instead of two.


Global and regional security


Representatives from Moscow and Abu Dhabi will also hold a "thorough collation of hours on key aspects" of the global and Middle Eastern agenda. "Emphasis will be placed on the need to resolve the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa through an inclusive dialogue that takes into account the legitimate interests and concerns of all parties involved," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. - "From this angle, it is planned to consider the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen and the Arab-Israeli settlement".


The sides will pay special attention to the problems of stable stabilization in the Persian Gulf. About a year and a half ago, Moscow presented an updated Russian concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf. It includes a collective mechanism for responding to challenges and threats involving countries in the zone, including Iran and all Arab states.


"We invariably call for the rejection of confrontational rhetoric, for the discussion of accumulated controversial issues at the negotiating table, for all states of the sub-region to build a system of collective security and joint response to the existing challenges and threats," the report reads.


It is noteworthy that Russia's initiatives to ensure security in the region have found a positive response in the Emirates. Following his visit to Moscow, the UAE Foreign Minister said that his country welcomes Moscow's efforts in this direction.

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry

Based on materials from TASS