MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced plans to stage a summit with the Arab League group of states later this year as Moscow searches for new partners after its three-year offensive on Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Slapped with sweeping Western sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has turned toward Asian, African and Arab countries for political and economic ties.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe plan to hold a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year,\u201d Putin told Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq, in the first-ever visit to Russia by an Omani head of state.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of our friends in the Arab world support this idea,\u201d he added, inviting the sultan to the summit, without specifying the date and location.<\/p>\n
The sultan\u2019s visit comes days after Putin hosted Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Moscow for talks on Syria and Gaza. <\/p>\n
Doha is a key mediator between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.<\/p>\n
The Gulf states are gaining ever-growing diplomatic influence as mediators in negotiations to resolve the world\u2019s most pressing crises, which have claimed thousands of lives, such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.<\/p>\n
Oman recently hosted talks between the US and Iran, the highest-level meeting between the two sides since Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear deal in 2018 during his first term as US president.<\/p>\n
Russia and Ukraine held indirect talks in Riyadh in March.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Putin discussed Iran\u2019s nuclear program with the leader of Oman, a Kremlin official was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed the progress of negotiations between Iranian and American representatives,\u201d Interfax quoted Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov as saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will see what the result will be. We maintain close contact with our Iranian colleagues. Where we can, we help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a deal is reached; Iran denies seeking atomic weapons. Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January and is also trying to improve relations with the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Moscow has a role in nuclear talks with Iran as a signatory to a previous nuclear deal that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. Russia has said any US military action against Iran would be illegal.<\/p>\n
In televised comments, Putin was shown telling the sultan that Russian energy companies were interested in developing relations with Oman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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