Sputnik - Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman is likely to have invited Russia to work with the emerging Saudi-led military alliance in the Middle East during his visit to Moscow, political analyst Gevorg Mirzayan wrote for Sputnik.




"It is an open secret that Riyadh is trying to�set up�a regional bloc to�counter Iran, if not undermine its influence in�the entire Middle East. As part of�this process, Saudi Arabia has employed Donald Trump by�offering him a trade and investment project worth $350 billion. The Saudis are also promoting the idea of�creating an 'Arab NATO.' Apparently, Prince Mohammad discussed Russia's participation in�this project," the analyst said.


Mirzayan, Associate Professor at�the Department of�Political Sciences of�Finance University under�the Russian government, pointed out�that Russia seems to�be lukewarm about�this idea.

"Firstly, the Kremlin does not want to�engage in�any confrontation with�Iran. Russia might not like�some aspects of�Iran's regional policy, for�instance Tehran's stance on�Israel, but�the bilateral relationship has not been plagued by�any major challenges. This comes in�contrast to�Moscow's relations with�Riyadh that has provided assistance to�terrorist groups. This is the second reason why the Kremlin is skeptical about�joint strategic projects with�partners like�Saudi Arabia. Russian experts think that the reliability of�Saudi partners is minimal," the analyst explained.

In Mirzayan's view, Riyadh would make another attempt to�convince Moscow to�cooperate with "Arab NATO," if it is established, during�King Salman's upcoming visit to�Russia.

Earlier this year, reports emerged indicating that the Trump administration was in�talks with�its key allies in�the Middle East, including Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to�create a regional military alliance to�ostensibly counter Iran's influence.

The new coalition, if created, is expected to�adopt a collective response clause, mimicking NATO's Article 5. The bloc would also share intelligence with�Israel. However, neither Washington, nor Tel Aviv would become its formal members.

Mirzayan further said that Russia is unlikely to�change its stance on�the potential military alliance because the country is uniquely positioned to�serve as�a mediator in�the Middle East since�it has working relations with�all regional stakeholders, does not intend to�redraw existing borders and does not aspire to�become a regional leader. In particular, Russia could help Saudi Arabia handle some of�the crises Riyadh has been involved in, including the war in�Yemen.
"As it happens, Riyadh needs Moscow more that Moscow needs Riyadh at�the moment," the analyst concluded.