On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has started his four-day official trip to the Gulf region. Within the scope of the visit, Lavrov will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar respectively, according to the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
In the UAE, Lavrov will come together with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed. Lavrov will then go to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan. His last stop will be Qatar, where he will meet Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his Qatari counterpart Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al Thani.
Based on the statement, the main agenda of the Russian Foreign Minister will be trade and economic cooperation between Russia and the three Gulf states. Recent political developments in the region will also be handled as well, the statement added.
It is stated that last year, trade between Russia and the three Gulf states has risen, in spite of the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic. Particularly trade between Russia and the UAE has increased by 78 percent and reached $3.27 billion in this period. Also, it is estimated that within the scope of the OPEC+ forum, discussions regarding the global energy market will be given great importance.
