Recent diplomatic visits indicate imminent changes in the global economy.
A series of events, significant individually and even more so in aggregate, took place a few days ago against the backdrop of global political and economic processes. The diplomatic visit of Vladimir Putin to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia remained in the news headlines for a prolonged period, primarily due to the reception our president received. Just the fact that both countries allowed Russian fighters to enter their airspace without escort or visible control is an unprecedented situation for the Persian Gulf countries.
The primary components of the diplomatic visit were undoubtedly the personal negotiations between Vladimir Putin and the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
The next day witnessed a third significant meeting when the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, visited Moscow. Such active negotiation activity likely signifies a transition in cooperation among these four countries to a new level, including in the sphere of energy resource trade. The specific agreements reached during the negotiations remain a matter of speculation. However, it can be assumed that the discussion of conditions for the entry of new participants into BRICS played a significant role in their course.
Back in August, following the results of the XV BRICS Summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that energy cooperation would ‘shine with new facets’ with the accession of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to BRICS.
“In today’s reality, a new oil or even broader energy alliance is projected. It’s highly likely that the influence of the traditional West, primarily the United States, will be quite limited,” shared Boris Alexandrovich Podoprigora, a political scientist, writer, publicist, and president of the St. Petersburg Club of Conflict Resolution Mediators, with GORUS. “This doesn’t mean that the US will become a kind of a victim. We are unlikely to see that anytime soon because the energy scenario of the United States will undoubtedly require a change in today’s discourse over time. But for now, the situation seems to pave the way for a potential alliance between Russia, Iran, and its Sunni neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, and that alliance is clearly gaining momentum. That’s the truth.