It had been expected that the return of Bashar Al-Assad to the Arab League would dominate the agenda of the summit in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Friday, May 19. Moreover, twelve years after being excluded for his bloody repression of the Syrian uprising, President Al-Assad, all smiles, was warmly welcomed by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ben Salman (“MBS”). But his presence was quickly eclipsed by a surprise guest. On his way to Japan for the G7, aboard a plane chartered by France, Volodymyr Zelensky came to woo Arab leaders, in the hope that they would finally lend an attentive ear to his calls to condemn the Russian invasion .
“Unfortunately, some countries in the world and here among you turn a blind eye to these illegal prisons and annexations”lamented the Ukrainian President, inviting the leaders of the region to “take an honest look” on the war waged in his country by Moscow. In the parterre of Arab leaders, President Zelensky was met with rather circumspect expressions. Some, like the Algerians, the Emiratis and especially the Syrians, have a close relationship with Russia. Proponents of pragmatic neutrality in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, a strategic partner in the Middle East, had no choice but to play the game in this new diplomatic “coup” of “MBS”.
The ambitions of the fiery monarch go beyond the regional reconstruction project he has been working on since he reconnected with Iran in March. “MBS” said to himself “ready to conduct mediation efforts” between Kyiv and Moscow. As a tightrope walker, he supported UN resolutions condemning the Russian invasion and the annexation of Ukrainian territories, but he resisted American pressure to increase the production of black gold in order to trim Russia’s revenues. In September 2022, Riyadh facilitated an exchange of ten prisoners between Moscow and Kyiv. In February, present in kyiv, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Fayçal Ben Farhan, promised 400 million dollars in aid for Ukraine.
“Iconic presence”
“The presence of President Zelensky at the same summit as Bashar Al-Assad is emblematic of regional change. With the vacuum left by the American withdrawal, which allowed the Russians to gain a foothold in Syria, the regional actors think first of all according to their own interests rather than as members of an axis. They are trying to find a new modus vivendi suitable for all.observes the Saudi analyst Mohammed Alyahya, attached to the Harvard Kennedy School.
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