"Thank you!" —— Putin said in Arabic while talking with the Emir of Qatar. The "resurrected" look of Kadyrov says it all.
Author: Alexander Stepanov
Vladimir Putin received two high-ranking guests from the Middle East at the same time in the Kremlin — first, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, with whom he held a lengthy conversation, followed by a meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. During the meeting with the Emir of Qatar, both sides issued a joint statement on their positions regarding the Palestinian and Syrian issues, while the meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister involved discussions about the negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived at the venue for his meeting with the Russian president in an extensive convoy that stretched hundreds of meters. As a member of the royal family, he rode in the best car in the Kremlin garage — an "Arus" sedan with the national flag on the hood, and the license plate was previously used on one of Vladimir Putin's official Mercedes-Benz cars until Putin switched to using domestically produced luxury vehicles. Of course, the Emir himself may not have been aware of these details beforehand, but there is reason to believe he was informed: what might seem insignificant to Europeans holds special significance for Eastern rulers — representing attention and respect.
By the way, the Emir also showed his friendly attitude: during his meeting with the Russian president, he chose a formal attire style. He did not wear traditional Arab clothing (white robe, headscarf, and headband) but instead wore an elegant navy blue suit with a red tie.
During the waiting period for the guests, some members of the Russian delegation talked to each other to pass the time, while others focused intently on something. For instance, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov first actively conversed with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov (Manturov co-chairs the Russia-Qatar Trade, Economic, and Technological Cooperation Joint Committee with him), but then sat alone in his seat awaiting the start of the negotiations.
Finance Minister Anton Siluanov happily joked with Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, while Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov had a serious discussion with Rosneft President Igor Sechin.
Kadyrov silently refuted Khodorkovsky’s rumors through action.
The most interesting part was that the seventh member of Vladimir Putin's negotiation team was Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic — lively and healthy, which completely contradicted the rumors spread by the intelligence agency led by the exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and the liberal network.
Ramzan Kadyrov scanned the hall with a stern gaze while waiting for important figures.
Khodorkovsky had repeatedly "declared" Kadyrov's death through his henchmen, rumored that Kadyrov suffered from incurable diseases, and even claimed that Kadyrov was expelled from the Kremlin according to "President Vladimir Putin's decision." However, the significance of Kadyrov's participation in these negotiations as the leader of the Chechen Republic (one of Russia's 89 regional leaders) was like "Punchinello's Secret" (public knowledge). It was he who ensured informal contacts between Moscow and Muslim countries in the Middle East.
Ramzan Kadyrov scanned the hall with a stern gaze, only softening his expression when Putin appeared at the door: he placed his hand over his chest and even smiled. During the negotiations, he hardly drew attention or participated in discussions, but after the small-scale negotiations with the Emir of Qatar ended, when Vladimir Putin and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani walked through the Grand Kremlin Palace's Throne Hall, it was Ramzan Kadyrov who accompanied them and briefly conversed through translation.
After the small-scale negotiations concluded, the Russian president and the Emir of Qatar continued their heated conversation while walking through the Kremlin's Throne Hall.
Putin conveyed greetings to Trump, Netanyahu, and Erdogan.
Meanwhile, as usual, the negotiations were conducted in a "friendly and constructive atmosphere."
In other words, Vladimir Putin pointed out that relations between our two countries are strengthening, despite the current bilateral trade volume being "not high," Qatar is a key partner in the oil and gas sector — besides, Russia has invested approximately $1 billion in Qatar through the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The president also added, "We are actively working on humanitarian issues" (he casually mentioned that the Emir had assisted in securing Russia's hosting rights for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup, while he personally helped with the organization of the 2022 Qatar World Cup).
Of course, discussing matters related to hotspots is also very important now. We know that Qatar has made significant efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfortunately, including your (referring to the Emir) initiatives, none of them have been implemented — Palestinian civilians continue to die, which is undoubtedly a tragedy, a very serious tragedy.
Putin said.
Two more important points were also mentioned. The first was about Russia and Qatar's consistent position on the establishment of a "complete Palestinian state" (addressing the Israeli prime minister and the American president). The second concerned the Syrian situation: Putin emphasized that every effort must be made to ensure that Syria continues to exist as a sovereign, independent, and territorially complete country (this message was directed at Netanyahu, Trump, and Turkish President Erdogan).
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also responded. He said that he had excellent personal relations with Vladimir Putin and expressed pride in the investment cooperation results achieved in various fields. But most importantly, he confirmed everything President Putin had previously stated regarding the Palestinian and Syrian issues. In fact, he went further — he elaborated on these views:
Our positions as Russia and Qatar are clear and firm: without establishing an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, peace cannot be achieved. As for Syria, just a few days ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in Qatar. We had in-depth talks with him, discussing the historical ties between Syria and Russia, which have strategic significance in the past and present. Moreover, he is willing to continue this cooperation and establish interactive relationships based on mutual respect and consideration of the interests of both peoples.
For Russia, the last point is extremely important, even a principled issue. Our military base situation in Syria remains unclear; if this issue can be resolved through Qatar's mediation — that would be wonderful.
Once again, thank you, Mr. President, for your invitation. May the relationship between our two countries always be good.
The Emir of Qatar concluded his speech.
"Thank you (Arabic: شكراً),"
Vladimir Putin nodded with a smile and replied in Arabic.
"Things in the East are delicate, fellows."
Subsequently, the exchange between the two leaders entered the formal breakfast session (even though it was in the afternoon) — with increased participation from members of both delegations.
Then, naturally, something happened that reinforced everything said earlier through practical actions: four documents were signed. These included two memorandums (signed between the sports departments and finance departments of the two countries) and two agreements (one concerning cooperation in healthcare, medical education, and medical science, and another, the most interesting, establishing a new $2 billion Russia-Qatar investment platform).
"We will jointly invest in projects in technology, healthcare, infrastructure, mineral extraction, and other areas of mutual interest,"
explained Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Meanwhile, after seeing off the Emir of Qatar, the Russian president continued his "Middle East Day" schedule. Shortly after the first guest left, he met with the second guest — Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The Kremlin press office briefly reported on this meeting, noting that the agenda included "promoting bilateral relations, regional cooperation, and interaction on the international stage."
At the meeting between Putin and Araghchi, only Lavrov, Ushakov, and the translator were present on the Russian side.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, however, felt it necessary to emphasize the outcomes of the talks, stating that he had "had a good meeting with the Russian president, where almost all important issues were discussed." Additionally, he shared with Putin the situation of negotiations between Tehran and Washington: as is well known, Trump had previously threatened to strike Iran's nuclear facilities, but today Western media reported that he ultimately abandoned this adventurous plan advocated by Israel.
An extremely interesting node emerged here. Washington hoped Moscow would directly participate in its dialogue with Tehran so that the supervision of Iran's uranium could be relatively easily resolved. Qatar maintains partnerships with both Russia and Iran and the United States. In other words, two major problems arose: the progress of negotiations on the Iranian issue and the Ukrainian issue.
But to fully understand the importance of what happened today in the Kremlin, another perspective is needed.
Here's how it is. On the same day, the Saudi Arabian Defense Minister visited Iran (and it was rumored that the Saudi Crown Prince would soon visit Tehran as well). The United States announced its intention to reduce its military presence in Syria and expressed readiness to sign a new trade agreement with Iraq. Russia's Supreme Court lifted the ban on activities previously deemed a terrorist organization, the "Taliban." Adding these two factors into the Middle Eastern "stew" — Yemen's imminent offensive against the Houthi rebels and Lebanon's government's intention to crack down on Hezbollah — forms a complex picture.
What does this mean?
In reality, there are no coincidences or accidents in major political affairs. All of the above events, of course, are interconnected in one way or another — either directly or indirectly.
The visits of the two Middle Eastern guests to the Kremlin and the words spoken during the negotiations, even including the "visual effects" (especially the public appearance of Kadyrov at the first meeting), have their significance. They primarily convey Vladimir Putin's stance on certain issues.
In other words, Moscow intends to seriously occupy a place in all Middle Eastern negotiations. Without its opinion, no problem can be resolved.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7494450211838853671/
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