Saudi deputy crown prince seeks Russia deals

Source : http://www.al-monitor.com

Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman visited St. Petersburg in the last week and signed several agreements with the Russians concerning cooperation on oil, space and peaceful nuclear energy, as well as nuclear technology sharing. It is another high-profile mission for the 29-year-old son of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, but it won't resolve the king's Yemen adventure.

Prince Mohammed was accompanied by Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Minister of Petroleum Ali al-Naimi and senior military and intelligence officials. Details on the agreements are few. The Saudis and Russians discussed cooperation on energy issues, investment and the global oil market. The two agreed to cooperate to achieve stability in the global energy market. It is unlikely the Saudis will reduce production, however, to raise prices.

Mohammed chairs the Saudi interagency super committee that oversees the oil and gas industry in the kingdom. This trip to St. Petersburg marks the first time the prince has engaged publicly on oil issues. It's likely his profile will rise on oil matters over time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mohammed also discussed the war in Yemen. The Saudis want Russia to endorse their hard-line stand against the Houthi rebels. Moscow earlier abstained in the vote on UN Security Council Resolution 2216 that calls for the Houthis to withdraw from Sanaa. Putin and Mohammed also reportedly discussed the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council pus Germany). They also covered Syria, where Russia backs the Bashar al-Assad regime and the kingdom supports the opposition. Ukraine was apparently not mentioned.

Mohammed invited Putin to visit the kingdom and Putin invited King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud to Russia. No dates have been set for either visit. There was no public discussion of any arms deals, a subject of much speculation during previous Saudi-Russian dialogues. The nuclear technology agreement is linked to very ambitious Saudi plans to build 16 nuclear reactors in the future.

Sending Mohammed to Russia is the latest sign of the power and influence the young prince has under his father. The deputy crown prince has now become the king's personal envoy for high-stakes high-profile diplomacy.

The visit also suggests that Mohammed is positioning himself as more independent than other members of the Saudi national security team who are pro-American. Jubeir and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef are seen in the kingdom as very close to Washington. The royal family is disillusioned with US President Barack Obama and his policies in the region. Becoming the advocate of diversifying Saudi interests beyond the United States is a popular move for Mohammed bin Salman to take.

The Saudi media are hailing the visit as a milestone in Saudi diplomacy. The Saudis have tried to strengthen ties to Russia before to gain leverage in the region and with Washington. In the last years of King Abdullah's reign, his intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, went to see Putin several times to try to persuade Moscow to end support for Assad. Bandar allegedly offered cooperation on oil prices and lucrative arms deals to win Putin's support but the gambit failed.

Syria is not Mohammed's priority. He wants help in Yemen where the war is stalemated. The UN talks in Geneva produced nothing, with no dates even set for another round. Russia has no vested interest in Yemen, unlike its deep ties to Damascus, but it also has no leverage with the Houthis. The Russian option is good for Mohammed's image as a global player, but it won't deliver success in Yemen.

Russia harbors no aspirations to become superpower: Putin

Source : http://news.xinhuanet.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia is not striving to become a superpower and only seeks to develop equal relations with other countries, President Vladimir Putin said Friday.

"Russia does not claim some sort of hegemony or ephemeral superpower status," Putin told the ongoing Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum here.

Moscow has started to resolutely and persistently, rather than aggressively, protect its interests, Putin said, adding that Russia "wants equitable relations with all members of the international community."

While accusing Western countries of imposing their standards and models on others, Putin said Russia always proceeds with mutual respect and looks for "common solutions to common problems."

Referring to Russia-U.S. relations, Putin hoped that joint efforts by both countries in fighting against common threats, like terrorism, drug trafficking and so on, could serve as the foundation for restoring the bilateral relationship.

On the Ukraine crisis, Putin reiterated that not only Russia, but also Western countries should exert influence over the conflicting sides in the country, while the Minsk agreements signed in February should be fully implemented in order to settle the crisis in a peaceful and political way.

As Russia has been slapped with sanctions by the West over its alleged intervention in the Ukraine crisis, Putin insisted that political pressure should not influence business and economic cooperation.

Putin pointed out that the sanctions war is inflicting damage on both Russia and the West, however, he said that the Russian economy is not in a catastrophic state.

In the near future, Russia could ensure an economic growth at the average global rate of about 3.5 percent, an annual labor productivity growth at 5 percent and annual inflation at 4 percent, he said.

Noting that the Russian government is consistently trying to solve domestic economic problems and create a liberal and favorable business climate, Putin said Russia is ready to develop with all countries in the world on a reciprocal basis.

Indian government expressed intrests to build Stealth Frigates jointly with Russia

Source : https://www.ibcworldnews.com

The Indian government has expressed interest in jointly building Stealth Frigates with Russia, with the proviso that they be built in India. The Indian Prime Minister has laid emphasis on increasingly producing defence equipment in India, under the government. India Make the programme, with joint collaboration.

Russia has supplied six frigates to India between 2003 and 2013, under Project 11356, all of which were built in St. Petersburg at the Kaliningrad factory. The first three ships carry the Russian cruise missile system on board, while the other three frigates are armed with cruise missile jointly produced by Russia and India.

Having completed a series of three Indian orders, we were hoping that India would extend their cooperation with us, especially since the Indian Defence Ministry mentioned that their Navy needed another three or four ships of this class. Now they are planning to produce such ships at home, of course, with our participation and under our patronage, Shumakov said.
Shumakov said the frigates to be built in India would be armed with more sophisticated weapons than the ones carried by the existing ships of the project.

We tend to think that it will be the ship of the same class, but with somewhat different arms, as the technical capabilities of weapons are constantly evolving, so I think there will be something new to mount on this ship.

At the same time, in terms of seaworthiness, the ship will be absolutely the same. We are currently consulting with our Indian counterparts on these issues, the General Director of said.

Patrol ships under project 11356 are designed for combat operations against surface ships and submarines, for meeting the air attacks, both autonomously and as part of formation. They carry universal missile and artillery weapons and modern radar facilities for anti-submarine and air defence.

Ships of this series have a displacement of about 4 thousand tons, they are 125 meters in length, with speeds of up to 30 knots and can carry a crew of 180 people.