Hosting his Arab Gulf counterparts in Moscow at sixth ministerial meeting of the Russia-GCC strategy dialogue, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the recent rapprochement between them and Iran.

But before I say anything more about Russia and its Arab guests in Moscow it is necessary to make mention of a photograph that says it all: that a picture says a thousand words is a fact that has found its best expression from a photograph in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov poses for a family photo with his counterparts of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members states - Sheikh Salem al-Sabah of Kuwait, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani of Qatar, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi of Oman, Prince Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani of Bahrain, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - and the GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi prior to their meeting in Moscow on July 10, 2023.

This photograph clearly shows, among other things, Russia’s expanding political and military footprint in the Middle East.

Like its successor state the Russian Federation, the then Soviet Union had a deep footprint in the region.

It is a fact that Russia’s military intervention in Syria had changed the course of country’s civil war. It is also a fact that Russia has literally become Israel’s neighbor through its expanded presence in Syria.

Needless to say, Kremlin’s actions in the Middle East have deep historical roots. Unlike the US, Russia has never been interested in the promotion of democracy in the region.

It is now in a position to tell the Arab states that it can be their reliable partner. It is increasingly clear that Russia has immensely expanded its influence in the region in recent times.

Haider Raza (Karachi)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023