A News Aggregator That Covers The World's Major Wars And Conflicts. Military, Political, And Intelligence News Are Also Covered. Occasionally We Will Have Our Own Opinions Or Observations To Make.
Showing posts with label russia middle east relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label russia middle east relations. Show all posts
Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd L) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (2nd R) meet with servicemen as they visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria, Dec. 11, 2017.
While most of the world has been on lockdown from the novel coronavirus, the wars and political machinations of the Middle East have continued. Amid this turmoil, Russia appears to be making steady progress as a regional power.
The pandemic and collapse of oil prices have pounded the region’s already fragile countries. The Gulf oil kingdoms are slashing budgets; Iran is hunkered down and trying to keep its leadership alive and its strategic weapons programs intact. America, meanwhile, is a waning force. In this vacuum, Russia plays a growing role by default and design.
Russia has been opportunistic toward the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen. The combatants are exhausted, but efforts to negotiate peace deals have failed. The result may be de facto partitions in all three -- and frozen conflicts that leave the nations fragmented and vulnerable.
WNU Editor: The Middle East has been cruel to outside countries who wish to have a presence in the region. Will Russia succeed? I do not know. But there are now reports that even Russian President Putin is having second thoughts .... Is Russian President Putin Rethinking Russia's Role In Syria? (May 9, 2020).
(Bloomberg) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that a full-scale war in the broader Middle East would be a global “catastrophe” and said he hopes it won’t happen.
“War is already going on there -- it is low-intensity, but this is war,” Putin said at a news conference in Moscow after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday. “People get killed. It’s a fact.”
Putin was responding to a question about U.S.-Iranian tensions after the targeted killing of a Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq and the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet near Tehran by a missile that Iran said was fired in error.
“We would like to avoid major military actions,” Putin said. “If this happens, it will be a catastrophe not only for the Middle East region but for the whole world.”
He said reducing tension in the region was among the topics he and Merkel discussed.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russia's President Vladimir Putin speak during a meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - In the two weeks since attacks blamed on missiles or drones shut down half of Saudi Arabia’s oil output, the country that has arguably moved most deftly to position itself for any upside is Russia.
Within hours of the attacks, Moscow’s state arms exporter said it would hold talks with countries in the Middle East on selling them new anti-drone weapons systems, muscling in on a market long dominated by the United States. [nR4N265016]
Next month, President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Saudi and the Gulf, a chance to deepen cooperation on energy and oil, drum up investment and promote Russia’s Pantsir group of anti-UAV weaponry, the arms systems the state export company will put on display at the Dubai Airshow in November.
WNU Editor: With impeachment dominating Washington right now, the U.S. will not be focused on the Middle East from now till after the 2020 elections. This is an golden opportunity for countries like Russia and China, and not surprisingly the Russians are taking advantage of it.
China and Russia are sewing up whatever oil and gas fields and accompanying infrastructure that they can in Iran and Iraq, as Iraq tries to markedly up the pace of development on the fields it shares with Iran. Iraq only wants the U.S. for the Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP) because ExxonMobil is the only firm that can do it properly and within a reasonable timeframe. ExxonMobil’s participation, though, is far from guaranteed.
Of all the key shared fields - Azadegan (Iran side)/Majnoon (Iraq side), Azar/Badra, Yadavaran/Sinbad, and Dehloran/Abu Ghurab, Naft Shahr/Khorramshahr – the first of these has been a priority for Iran since it was severely flooded in March. It is this field that was the focus of the announcement last week that two major new drilling contracts have been signed: one with China’s Hilong Oil Service & Engineering Company to drill 80 wells at a cost of US$54 million and the other with the Iraq Drilling Company to drill 43 wells at a cost of US$255 million.
WNU Editor: Both Russia and China in the past year have been trying to sew up every possible oil/gas energy deal in Iraq and Iran, and they have been successful in doing so. But the big winner has been China in Iraq . But this is all contingent on the Middle East being a peaceful place to do business, which if history is any indication, will be difficult to do.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is flanked by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (l) and Turkish Premier Recip Tayyip Erdogan at Sochi summit this week (Reuters) Reuters
An eighth round of UN-backed Syria peace talks begin in Geneva next week. As Washington falters in the region, however, Moscow is increasingly in the driver’s seat
Exactly one year ago, Syrian President Bashar al Assad, with Russia’s help, was laying waste to the last rebel-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo.
Cluster bombs and bunker-busters fell out of the sky “like rain”, one resident said at the time. Children mistook the bright lights of phosphorous munitions for fireworks.
The fall of Aleppo turned the tide of the civil war in the regime’s favour. And this week, as Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with mR Assad and his Iranian and Turkish counterparts to discuss a framework for “post-conflict” Syria, his role as the Middle East’s most important foreign deal-breaker is secured.
WNU Editor: Over two years ago I wrote the following post .... When It Comes To The Middle East All Roads Now Lead to Moscow (September 26, 2015). And since then .... especially now .... all roads in the Middle East are going through the Kremlin. But while I was one the first to notice this development in 2015 .... I am now going to say the opposite .... that in 2018 Russia is going to step back from the Middle East. Reasons why are many .... Russia has secured an ally in Syria, and it now has bases that it can use to maintain a Russian presence in the Middle East. In short .... the Kremlin's strategic military goals have been achieved. The problem is that the next step will involve political reconciliation in a region that has not been successful at reconciling differences, and IMHO Russia is not up to that task. Political reconciliation in Syria will involve many components .... but the main component that will reconcile all sides will be money, specifically the need to spend tens of billions of dollars to rebuild a country that has been destroyed .... money and resources that Russia simply does not have. While many are focused on the U.S. over-extending itself in many of the world's trouble spots .... Russia is experiencing that now in Syria .... there is only so much that Russia can do. There is also growing support within Russia to disengage from the Middle East .... for most Russians they see the Middle East as a quagmire, and I am sure that Putin is well aware of this sentiment and he does not want to have the image of someone who is willing to help rebuild another country, while ignoring the needs of his own citizens. So bottom line .... expect more announcements like this one .... Russia likely to reduce troops in Syria before year-end: military chief (Reuters).
* Saudi king’s first visit brings another Mideasterner to Moscow
* Russia a ‘nimble boxer’ vs musclebound U.S., diplomat says
The Israelis and Turks, the Egyptians and Jordanians -- they’re all beating a path to the Kremlin in the hope that Vladimir Putin, the new master of the Middle East, can secure their interests and fix their problems.
Russia's deputy foreign minister met Wednesday with leading diplomats from Iran and Iraq to discuss combating Islamist extremist groups and the future of Syria.
With the U.S. minimizing efforts to topple the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraq expressing weariness of the U.S.'s extended presence in its country, Russia has become an increasingly important power broker in the region. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met in Moscow with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Nazar Khairallah to emphasize the "principled position of the three countries" on Syria. All three expressed support for Assad in a lengthy war pitting his armed forces against jihadists and opposition groups, according to Syria's pro-government Al-Watan newspaper and Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
WNU editor: Tom O'Connor works for Newsweek .... and probably gets well paid for writing and explaining his point of view .... such as the story above where he explains why Russia is calling the shots in the Middle East. This humble little blogger .... who does not get paid .... writes the same story almost two years ago .... but gets no recognition .... just bragging rights that he was well ahead of the curve before anyone else. Life is so unfair ....
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during a signing ceremony after the talks in Tehran, Iran, November 23, 2015. Picture taken November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin
Vladimir Putin has made an art of turning weakness into strength. As Russian and Syrian forces pound Aleppo in the biggest assault of Syria’s five-year civil war, the Russian president clearly has emerged as a dominant force in the Middle East. Two years ago Russia had virtually no presence in the region, aside from a naval base in Syria. Today Moscow’s fighter jets and missiles fly over Syrian, Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
Over the last year, Putin has inserted Russia into the Syrian conflict and shored up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad as it was on the verge of collapse. The Russian leader has forged a quasi-military alliance with Iran that has allowed him to project power in the Persian Gulf – something that has evaded Moscow since the end of World War Two.
President Vladimir Putin is pushing to host peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in the latest sign of his ambition for Russia to replace the US as chief powerbroker in the Middle East.
Mr Putin made his overture to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who said that it would involve a meeting at the Kremlin between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
“Putin has told me that he is ready to receive Abbas and Netanyahu in Moscow to carry out direct talks to find a solution,” Mr Sisi told the state-owned newspaper Al Ahram.
WNU Editor: I had a heads up that this was going to happen when I read this .... Putin wants to be Middle East peacemaker, Egypt's Sisi says(Middle East Monitor). Will these talks produce results that push the peace process forward .... I have my doubts .... but someone has to step up to push it.
Russia’s less dominant militarily but more willing to act, and that has changed the dynamics in the region.
Thhe United States has significantly more military capability in the Middle East today than Russia—America has 35,000 troops and hundreds of aircraft; the Russians roughly 2,000 troops and, perhaps, 50 aircraft—and yet Middle Eastern leaders are making pilgrimages to Moscow to see Vladimir Putin these days, not rushing to Washington. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to see the Russian president, his second trip to Russia since last fall, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia is planning a trip soon. Egypt’s president and other Middle Eastern leaders have also made the trek to see Putin.
Why is this happening, and why on my trips to the region am I hearing that Arabs and Israelis have pretty much given up on President Barack Obama? Because perceptions matter more than mere power: The Russians are seen as willing to use power to affect the balance of power in the region, and we are not.
WNU Editor: President Obama's outreach to Iran .... against the wishes of every American ally in the Middle East .... has overturned decades of U.S. alliances and understandings amongst our closest allies. Whether this was the right move or the wrong move is not the issue .... it was how it was done that has fundamentally changed how Israel/Saudi Arabia/Egypt/the Gulf States/Jordan/etc. now view the U.S., and especially how they view President Obama. They do not trust him any-more .... and in this void steps Putin .... a leader who has a reputation of sticking with his allies as well as being willing to help those who ask for it. My prediction .... from now to the last day that he is office President Obama will do what is necessary to preserve the Iranian nuclear deal, and to keep U.S. military involvement in the war against the Islamic State to a minimum. But by pursuing these policies he will only further distant and alienate many Middle Eastern leaders .... pushing them even further to find some common ground with Putin.
Update: On a side note .... I wrote a post on September 15, 2015 titled .... When It Comes To The Middle East All Roads Now Lead to Moscow. It is comforting to know that it took Dennis Ross .... one of Politico's top reporters on U.S. foreign policy and a former top U.S. State Department official under numerous Presidents .... only 8 months to discuss something that was first pointed out in this blog only 8 months ago.
Russia has been always interested in "mutual understanding between Shiites and Sunnis and the unity of the Muslims world"
MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. Russia is ready to invite the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to Moscow for negotiations, a diplomatic source told TASS on Monday.
"We express sincere regrets over the escalation of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia," the source said. "Russia has always been in favor of dialogue and constructive contacts. Therefore, if partners in Riyadh and Tehran are interested in our role, we are ready to give mediator services to restore mutual understanding on all issues."
"We are ready to invite the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers to Moscow," the source said. "If our partners in Iran and Saudi Arabia are ready and willing (to come), our initiative remains in force."
Russian President Vladimir Putin is maneuvering for a comeback as a major player in global security with his brash military buildup in Syria and an ardent appeal for coordinated action with Western powers to defeat Islamist extremism.
Putin's Syria initiative, to be unveiled Monday in his first address to the U.N. General Assembly in a decade, has been unleashed in the Kremlin leader's signature fashion: move in with boots and arms on the ground, creating a reality of Russian influence in the war zone and, in this case, leaving the United States and its allies to choose between spurning Russia's strategy or capitulating in order to get its help in eradicating a common enemy.
Kremlin officials have been on a diplomatic blitz for months that analysts see as having the twin objectives of diverting attention from Russia's disastrous interference in Ukraine and of spotlighting the more ominous threat to global security posed by extremist militias such as Islamic State.
WNU Editor: When I was growing up during the Cold War the Soviet Union's influence in the Middle East was confined to Syria and Egypt .... but the relationship was distant and in the case of Egypt .... short live. Today .... Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, the Palestinians, even Israel .... everyone in the Middle East is now acknowledging that a huge geopolitical shift is occurring, and that the country that everyone needs to be close to is Russia. This shift is even more remarkable because all that Russia has done in the past month is send to Syria some planes, military equipment, and soldiers .... as well as making promises to combat the Islamic State. This is not enough to make a geopolitical shift .... what this tells me is that there is more at play right now .... and on the top of my list is the decline and loss of credibility of the United States. The disastrous and amateurish U.S. attempt to arm and motivate a Syrian rebel army coupled with an air campaign against the Islamic State that is now showing limited (if any success) .... has not helped the situation. But I think the event that future historians will point to as that pivotal moment when everything started to change was .... the capitulation of the U.S. to Iran's nuclear program. The more that I think about it .... and the more that I talk with my friends from the region and/or are in the region .... they are all telling me the same thing .... it was after the Iranian nuclear agreement was announced, that in a subtle way everyone started to realize that the U.S. no longer has the resources or even the will power to continue being a major influence in the region. And while it is true that the U.S. military presence in the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia is huge .... the U.S. political and diplomatic presence and focus is no longer what it once was .... and everyone is starting to notice it. This lack of focus from the U.S. contrasts to Putin/Russia .... where the perception among many in the Middle East is that Russia is engaged, and wants to make a difference. What Russia is going to do in the next few weeks in Syria will reverberate throughout the region .... and Putin knows this .... and Obama knows this. I think this is the reason why Russian President Putin wants to meet President Obama this Monday .... he wants to tell him personally that Russia is going to launch a limited military campaign against the Islamic State and selected Syrian rebel groups, and that the U.S. should either coordinate their air campaign with Russia, or stay out of the way. And then (I predict) the next big story from the Middle East will be China aligning itself with Russia on what to do in the Middle East.
Kremlin’s Syria Policy Hurts Russia’s Position in Arab World -- Voice of America
In the days of the Soviet Union, Moscow was a major player in the Arab world. But in the last two years, the Kremlin has repeatedly backed the losing sides in the Arab Spring.
In Syria, President Bashar al-Assad is using Russian-made rockets, rifles and tanks to battle rebels.
But in Moscow, Russian officials are trying to put daylight between the Kremlin and the Assad government. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is not concerned about the fate of the Assad regime, which has ruled Syria for four decades, and that changes are needed. But Russia is worried about what will come next.
How does Russia’s position play in Anjar, a Lebanese border town clogged with Syrian refugees?
Read more ....
My Comment: After their debacle in Libya, the Russians are going to experience the same fate in Syria .... a new but hostile government that will show no interest to accommodate and/or align with Russian interests. This is not only going to be a major strategic defeat for Russia, but they have now earned the hostility of much of the Sunni-Arab world for the next generation or two.
Russia Sends Ships To Gaza Coast In Preparation For Violence Escalation -- Al Arabiya News
Russian warships anchored off the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea to prepare the evacuation of Russians in the area, should the conflict in Gaza escalate, The Voice of Russia quoted a Russian Navy Command source on Friday.
“The detachment of combat ships of the Black Sea Fleet, including the Guards missile cruiser Moskva, the patrol ship Smetliviy, large landing ships Novocherkassk and Saratov, the sea tug MB-304 and the big sea tanker Ivan Bubnov, got the order to remain in the designated area of the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea for a possible evacuation of Russian citizens from the area of the Gaza strip in case of escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict”, the spokesperson said.
Medvedev Warns Against Rising Tensions In 'Deteriorating' Mideast -- RIA Novosti
The situation in the Middle East is getting worse and an increase of tensions would be extremely dangerous, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday during his visit to Syria.
"Any future flare-up of the Mideast situation is fraught with the danger of catastrophe," Medvedev said during a joint news conference with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
I have been involved in numerous computer science projects since the 1980s, as well as developing numerous web projects since 1996.
These blogs are a summation of all the information that I read and catalog pertaining to the subjects that interest me.
