Russian President Vladimir Putin 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.
Slapped with sweeping Western sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has turned towards Asian, African and Arab countries for political and economic ties.
"We plan to hold a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year," Putin told Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq, in the first-ever visit to Russia by an Omani head of state.
"Many of our friends in the Arab world support this idea," he added, inviting bin Tariq to the summit, without specifying the date and location.
The Sultan's visit comes days after Putin hosted Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Moscow for talks on Syria and Gaza. Doha is a key mediator between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Gulf states are gaining ever-growing diplomatic influence as mediators in negotiations to resolve the world's most pressing crises, which have claimed thousands of lives, such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ