The wave of sanctions the US and other western countries have slapped on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine have unscored for the Russians a need to seek out additional economic horizons to mitigate the sanctions' effects, if only in part.
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In this context, the Arab world is becoming increasingly important to Moscow, which is attracted by a combination of traditional relations going back to the Soviet era and the raw potential of the Arab world's large markets.
While these markets cannot replace Russia's partnership with the West, ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, it has also been stepping up its efforts to cooperate with various Arab nations.
The new initiatives encompasses a wide variety of trade sectors, from food to higher education, and they have one thing in common – they could funnel badly-needed funds into Russia's coffers, and in the form of the foreign currency Russia needs so badly.
Recently, Moscow reported that Russian wheat exporters had won five out of six tenders to supply wheat to the Egyptian government concern GASC. Arab states have become dependent on grain imports from Russia and Ukraine.
Ural Federal University, which is located in Russia's fourth-largest city, Yekaterinburg, and is ranked one of Russia's 10 best universities, also plans to take an unprecedented step and open a satellite branch in Egypt.
Pressure from both sides
Russia's institutes of higher education have always aspired to attract students from the third world, including students from Arab countries, but the Ural Federal University's plan appears to be the first attempt to bring Russian higher education to an Arab state. Egyptian students will be able to study for BA and MA degrees at the local branch starting in the 2022-23 academic year. The university's board of trustees is headed by billionaire Dmitry Pumpyansky, one of the Russian oligarchs under US and European Union sanctions.
Meanwhile, the Russians are waging a diplomatic campaign to prevent Arab countries from joining the sanctions policy, and so far appear to be having some success. American pressure on Algeria to forgo a purchase of Russian weapons failed, and the Algerians are promising the Russians that all signed deals will be honored in full.
The Arab states that depend on Russia are trying to find alternate suppliers of oil and gas, while the Russians are trying to influence Arab regimes and convince them that they should not seek to replace Russia as energy suppliers, a campaign that is having partial success. Algeria has agreed to supply natural gas to Italy, but the Gulf states are thus far refraining from replacing Russia's supplies of energy, for their own reasons.
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