Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
The Kremlin is pushing forward with its desire to retain its international decision-making prowess and sustain its clout overseas by means of arms exports, write-offs of old debts and energy maneuverings. President Vladimir Putin became the first Russian leader to visit Libya on 17 April, witnessing the writing off U.S.$4.5 billion of Libya’s Soviet-era debt. In return, Libya is to grant Russia major energy, arms supply and other contracts. …
Russia appears determined to seek a bigger role in regional Middle East politics, including in peace efforts. In the immediate aftermath of the Libya trip, Putin and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met in Moscow to discuss plans for a Middle East conference in the Russian capital later this year. During talks with Abbas on 18 April, Russian officials suggested that a Moscow summit should also discuss Lebanese and Syrian aspects of the peace process.
Russia also moved to join the Middle East nuclear power race. On 25 March, Putin and visiting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak oversaw the signing of a deal that will enable Moscow to bid for the construction of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant. Russia also urged Egypt to make joint efforts to contribute to the Middle East peace process. For now, the Kremlin seems set to continue to pursue a stronger international role, but the jury is still out on whether it has enough foreign policy tools to pull it off. Access the full article>>
