Saudi Arabia Wants China And Russia To Invest In Their Upcoming Aramco IPO

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak attend a news conference at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh on February 14, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Faisal Al Nasser

M.K. Bhadrakumar, Asia Time: Putin prefers Aramco to Trump’s sword dance

Hardly 10 months after honoring the visiting US president, the Saudis are open to a Russian-Chinese consortium investing in the upcoming Aramco IPO

In the slideshow that is Middle Eastern politics, the series of still images seldom add up to make an enduring narrative. And the probability is high that when an indelible image appears, it might go unnoticed – such as Russia and Saudi Arabia wrapping up huge energy deals on Wednesday underscoring a new narrative in regional and international security.

The ebb and flow of events in Syria – Turkey’s campaign in Afrin and its threat to administer an “Ottoman slap” to the United States, and the shooting down of an Israeli F-16 jet – hogged the attention. But something of far greater importance was unfolding in Riyadh, as Saudi and Russian officials met to seal major deals marking a historic challenge to the US dominance in the Persian Gulf region.

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WNU Editor: This is a huge shift in the Middle East, and what we are seeing is essentially an emerging Russia - Saudi energy alliance. And I predict that this alliance will lead to other things .... including Russia and Saudi Arabia making economic, military, and political deals in the near future. Am I surprised by this .... no. This blog predicted this when it became known that President Obama was secretly negotiating with the Iranians on a nuclear deal. In the eyes of the Saudis they felt that this was a betrayal .... and there was going to be blow-back. This is the blow-back. The Saudis are looking for new allies and new alliances, and with their oil wealth they will have get them. And while the U.S. will continue to play a role, the days of a strategic partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are now coming to an end.