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Lavrov and Bandar bin Sultan Discuss the Egyptian Situation
22 August 2013
(EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has discussed the situation in Egypt during a phone conversation with Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, the general secretary of the Saudi National Security Council and director of the Saudi Foreign Intelligence Service. "The conversation addressed some aspects of regional issues, with an emphasis on the current situation in Egypt and Syria, as well as some issues relating to Russian-Saudi relations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a report released on Aug 21. It is evident that Saudi intelligence chief Bandar bin Sultan is seeking contacts with Moscow on the violent situation now prevailing in the Maghreb nations in North Africa and the Arabian countries in the Middle East. While Saudi Arabia has wholeheartedly supported the removal of the Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt on July 3, Russia has not issued any formal statement backing one group or the other. On the other hand, the Saudis are involved knee-deep in the terrorist-led efforts to remove the Syrian regime, which Russia strongly opposes. To achieve that end, Bandar paid a visit recently to Moscow and met with President Putin. Following that meeting, there were earlier reports that the Putin administration was considering Bandar’s proposals urging Russia to drop its support to Syria. However, that is not the case. An Arab diplomat with contacts in Moscow told the French website, France 24, "President Putin listened politely to his interlocutor and let him know that his country would not change its strategy." According to military expert Alexander Goltz from online opposition newspaper Ejednevny, "such an agreement seems extremely improbable." "Support for Assad is a matter of principle for Vladimir Putin," he said. [RMA] |