MIDDLE EAST ECHO OF THE EUROPEAN WAR. PART I. INTERMEDIARIES

Abstract

The article examines reasons for the increased «concern» of the states of the Middle East about what is happening around Ukraine. At the official level, they declare their neutrality and noninterference in the conflict, although some of them supply military equipment and ammunition to one of the warring parties. Under the current conditions, the Middle Eastern states are primarily concerned about their own security to a much greater extent than the countries of other regions, since over the past decades, the growth of tension between the USSR/Russia and the West has often been directly projected onto the Middle East, leading to a surge of confrontation between its main players. The concern of the states of the region with what is happening around Ukraine is connected not only with fears that a European war could «revive» muted conflicts in Syria, Libya, Yemen, increase tension in the Persian Gulf, but also with their involvement in global processes both in the sphere of economy and politics. For example, the latest moves by oil-exporting countries to protect their interests in the energy market are often interpreted in the West as «assistance to Russia». This forces some countries in the region to emphasize their neutrality with political gestures – such as voting in international organizations against the Russian Federation. The elites of a number of Arab states in these conditions are trying to offer intermediary services to Russia and Ukraine. Below we consider the reasons for such an approach to the crisis in Europe by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.