The situation in the Middle East remains complex, with events in Iraq and Libya raising the most concerns, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, said as he met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in Sochi.
Putin said he welcomed the opportunity to discuss developments in
the Middle East with General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
who occupies the position of Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE
Armed Forces.
According to the Russian president, the situation “remains
complex, not only on Israeli-Palestinian track, but in other
parts of the region as well. We are concerned by the state of
things in Iraq and Libya.”
For his part, Al Nahyan said that Moscow “plays a very
important role in the Middle East."
Putin underlined the expanding investment cooperation between the
two countries, adding that Russia “has great confidence in
investment funds” from UAE.
The Crown Prince replied that he had no doubts that his country
and Russia “are bound by a privileged relationship.”
According to the Russian side, the trade between Russia and UAE
has increased four times during the last five years, reaching the
mark of $2.5 billion last year.
However, in the first half of 2014 the volume of trade decreased
by 11.5 per cent to $ 1.3 billion.
UAE’s accumulated investment into Russia in 2013 is estimated at
$ 264 million, with another $48 million moving in the opposite
direction.