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Russia’s Policy Toward the War in Yemen

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Russia’s Relations with the GCC and Iran
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Abstract

Yemen continues to occupy a peripheral place in Russian foreign policy. There are three reasons for this: the lack of serious economic interest for Russia, the illusory possibilities of strengthening the military presence there, and also the recognition of the dominant role of Saudi Arabia in the Yemeni conflict, relations with which began to improve again after the accession to the throne of King Salman in 2015. On the other hand, the deepening of the split within the Arab Coalition in Yemen, primarily between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, forces the Russian authorities not only to balance between the Yemeni actors, but already makes it part of the “Yemeni triangle” along with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In other words, Russian involvement in the Yemeni crisis has its own limits, which are due to both domestic factors and the specifics of relations with the Gulf countries.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See, e.g., Samuel Ramani, “The Russian Role in the Yemen Crisis,” in Global, Regional, and Local Dynamics in the Yemen Crisis, ed. S. Day and N. Brehony (Cham: Springer, 2020); Alexander Rybin, “Yemeni Bases Await Russians,” Gazeta.ru, August 23, 2016, https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2016/08/23_a_10154303.shtml; Maxim Suchkov, “Moscow Handling Yemen Dilemma,” Russian International Affairs Council, April 1, 2015. https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/moscow-handling-yemen-dilemma/.

  2. 2.

    See, e.g., official statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov or Russian Ambassador to Cairo Mikhail Bogdanov: “Processes in the Arab World Do Not Yet Have a Direct Impact on Russia’s Position in the Region,” Interfax, July 5, 2011. https://www.interfax.ru/interview/197814.

  3. 3.

    Sergey Serebrov, “ Yemen: National Dialogue and the Problem of Separatism of the South,” Ratings and Ideas: Bulletin of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences 1 (2014).

  4. 4.

    Vitaly Naumkin and Vladimir Baranovskiy, eds., Middle East in a Changing Global Context (Moscow: Oriental Institute, 2018).

  5. 5.

    Leonid Issaev, “Endless War, or Again About Yemen,” Neprikosnovennyi Zapas. Debaty o politike I kylture,” 6 (2016): 238–248.

  6. 6.

    “Foreign Trade of USSR (from 1928 till 1933),” in USSR Statistical Review (Moscow: Vneshtorgizdat, 1933).

  7. 7.

    G. Djirkvelov, “Our Trade with Yemen,” in USSR Trade with the East 3–4 (1931).

  8. 8.

    Foreign Trade of USSR, 55.

  9. 9.

    Evgeny Primakov, Evgeny Lebedev, and Vitaly Naumkin, Recent History of the Arab Countries of Asia (Moscow: Nauka, 1988).

  10. 10.

    Elena Golubovskaya, Political Development of the Yemen Arab Republic 19621985 (Moscow: Nauka, 1989).

  11. 11.

    Primakov, Lebedev, and Naumkin, Recent History.

  12. 12.

    Primakov, Lebedev, and Naumkin, Recent History.

  13. 13.

    Ramani, “Russian Role,” 182.

  14. 14.

    Vasiliev, Russia’s Middle East, 378.

  15. 15.

    “Statement Following Talks with President Ali Abdallah Salih of the Republic of Yemen,” Kremlin, December 17, 2002. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/21815.

  16. 16.

    See, e.g., Mukbel Araf, “The History of the Russian-Yemeni Relations,” Vestnik Rossiiskogo universiteta druzhby narodov. Seriya: Istoriya 5 (2009): 64–71; Alisa Shishkina and Valeria Fedotova, “Historiography of Russian-Arab Relations at the End of the XX-Beginning of the XXI Century (on the example of Yemen, Syria and Tunisia),” Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia—Series: International Relations 4 (2016): 755–767; Abdoulhamad Mohamed, “The Main Areas of Cooperation of the Republic of Yemen and the Russian Federation,” International Relations 4 (2018): 49–59.

  17. 17.

    “On the Situation in Yemen,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, March 11, 2011. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/foreign_policy/international_safety/conflicts/-/asset_publisher/xIEMTQ3OvzcA/content/id/215702.

  18. 18.

    “On the Development of the Situation in the Republic of Yemen,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, April. 2011. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/foreign_policy/international_safety/conflicts/-/asset_publisher/xIEMTQ3OvzcA/content/id/212362.

  19. 19.

    “On the Situation in the Republic of Yemen,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, September 19, 2011. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/maps/ye/-/asset_publisher/d2sb7D5vI2YJ/content/id/195094.

  20. 20.

    “On Signing a Plan for a Peaceful Transfer of Power in Yemen,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, November 24, 2011. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/maps/ye/-/asset_publisher/d2sb7D5vI2YJ/content/id/181446.

  21. 21.

    “Russian MFA Information and Press Department Commentary Regarding the Start of the National Dialogue Conference in Yemen,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, March 18, 2013. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/kommentarii_predstavitelya/-/asset_publisher/MCZ7HQuMdqBY/content/id/118342.

  22. 22.

    “Interview with Ambassador of Russian Federation to Republic of Yemen,” Al Thawra, February 10, 2014. https://www.mid.ru/documents/10180/73007/Интервью.pdf/19a136fa-7170-45f2-9016-d8f45ff0d14d.

  23. 23.

    Vasiliev, Russia’s Middle East.

  24. 24.

    Leonid Issaev and Andrey Korotayev, “Unknown Revolution and International Conflict, “World Economy and International Relations 8 (2015): 71–81.

  25. 25.

    “Deputy Minister Likhachev Heads a Business Mission in Yemen,” Ministry of Economics of Russia, June 11, 2013. http://old.economy.gov.ru/minec/activity/sections/foreigneconomicactivity/cooperation/economicaa/doc20130610_11.

  26. 26.

    “Co-Chairs of the Permanent Russian-Yemeni Intergovernmental Commission Held a Meeting in Yemen,” Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia, May 26, 2014. https://digital.gov.ru/ru/events/31336/.

  27. 27.

    “Sergey Lavrov: The US Is Trying to Restrain Relations of All Countries with Russia,” Russia Today, April 6, 2015. https://ria.ru/20150406/1056972507.html.

  28. 28.

    “OPEC, non-OPEC Agree First Global Oil Pact since 2001,” Reuters, December 10, 2016. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-opec-meeting/opec-non-opec-agree-first-global-oil-pact-since-2001-idUSKBN13Z0J8.

  29. 29.

    “About the Meeting of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vershinin with the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Yemen Griffiths,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, January 11, 2019. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/maps/ye/-/asset_publisher/d2sb7D5vI2YJ/content/id/3471206.

  30. 30.

    “The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Yemen. There Were Cases When It Was Necessary to Rescue People from Prisons. It Turned out,” TASS, August 10, 2019. https://tass.ru/interviews/5446521.

  31. 31.

    “Deputy Foreign Minister Discusses Situation in Country with Delegation from Yemen,” RIA Novosti, March 20, 2019. https://ria.ru/20190320/1551956823.html.

  32. 32.

    “Deputy Foreign Ministers Discuss Yemeni Issues with Ambassadors of Yemen, UAE and Saudi Arabia,” RIA Novosti, July 26, 2019. https://news.rambler.ru/middleeast/42564544-zamglavy-mid-rf-obsudil-yemenskuyu-problematiku-s-poslami-yemena-oae-i-saudovskoy-aravii/.

  33. 33.

    Alexander Gostev, “Putin is Asked to Help: Russia May Intervene in Another War,” Radio Svoboda, July 23, 2018. https://www.svoboda.org/a/29385183.html.

  34. 34.

    “Lavrov Praised the UN Efforts to Resolve the Crisis in Yemen,” RIA Novosti, July 1, 2019. https://ria.ru/20190701/1556081360.html.

  35. 35.

    Foreign Trade of Russia. “Foreign Trade of Russia with Yemen,” http://russian-trade.com/reports-and-reviews/2018-11/vneshnyaya-torgovlya-rossii-s-yemenom-za-9-mesyatsev-2018-g/.

  36. 36.

    “Interview with Russian Ambassador to Yemen Dedushkin,” Al Yemen, September 1, 2014. https://www.mid.ru/web/guest/maps/ye/-/asset_publisher/d2sb7D5vI2YJ/content/id/1548330.

  37. 37.

    Rybin, “Yemeni bases.”

  38. 38.

    Vladimir Agafonov, “Does Russia Need a Military Base on the “Island of Bliss?” Vremya Novostei 210 (2008).

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Issaev, L. (2021). Russia’s Policy Toward the War in Yemen. In: Kozhanov, N. (eds) Russia’s Relations with the GCC and Iran. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4730-4_11

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