UAE Energy Minister calls relations with Russia “strong and good”

Relations between the UAE and Russia “remain strong and good,” UAE Energy and Infrastructure Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouki said.

“We are balancing our relations and our relations with Russia are still strong and good,” the minister said at an OPEC seminar (quote according to RIA Novosti). So he answered the question about the impact of Western sanctions and pressure on relations between the two countries.

He noted that the evidence of strong relations is the presence at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEFSheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates.

June 16 Russian President Vladimir Putin spent negotiations with Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the forum SPIEF. The Russian president then noted that the economy and social sphere under the leadership of the sheikh “are developing very actively.”

“In this sense, the Emirates is, of course, a good and comfortable partner for us. Relations between Russia and the Emirates are developing quite successfully,” the President of Russia stressed.

The Sheikh of the UAE visited Russia 11 times, and in 2019 he received the Russian president. Their previous meeting took place in October 2022 in St. Petersburg, when the Sheikh informed Putin that the UAE was ready to take on the role of mediator between Moscow and Kiev. In turn, Putin spoke about the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and about Moscow’s efforts to ensure nuclear safety. The parties also touched upon the issues of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.