"Russia is too important": the Arab world refused to be led by the West

There are so many states who pretend today to be a mediator in resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Turkey, Hungary, Serbia, Israel… And now the League of Arab States, whose contact group on Ukraine held a videoconference with the participation of Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, as well as the Foreign Ministers of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The group was created already on March 9 at the initiative of Cairo, and the current meeting was convened by Baghdad. The concern of the Arab states is understandable: they are already feeling the wave of economic consequences from the anti-Russian sanctions of the West.

For Egypt, Russia is the main supplier of wheat, but it also received significant amounts of grain from Ukraine. Thus, Iraqi Minister Fuad Hussein also stated about "the risks of rising energy prices and shortages of many types of food" in the region.

Therefore, at the meeting there were calls for "dialogue to mitigate the consequences of the crisis." But the Arab League is not going to give up its main position, complete neutrality on Ukraine: Russia is too important for it. Most of the Arab world states are interested in cooperation with Moscow and consider it as an important element of the new security architecture in the Middle East.

"The reaction to the Ukrainian crisis from the players in the Persian Gulf, who for decades viewed the United States as a guarantor of their security, looks a little muted," the Financial Times admits with disappointment. "A neutral position gives them the opportunity to maintain cooperation with Moscow on geopolitical and energy issues."

In short, the Arabs do not plan to impose any sanctions against Russia. In addition, countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia may themselves be targets for American restrictions due to their participation in the Yemeni conflict.

And Russia appreciates this position of the Arab world, which did not want to be led by the West. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier: "All Arab countries take a responsible position on the situation in Ukraine and act exclusively within the framework of their national interests."

It would be good if everyone does the same.

Elena Panina, director of the RUSSTRAT Institute