In a March 19 statement sounding its alarm over developments in the Persian Gulf, the Russian Foreign Ministry called attention to “the considered and thoughtful article” published by Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi in The Economist on March 18, proposing a regional solution.
“The proposals set out in the article are broadly in line with our own views on the need to establish a security architecture in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf that ensures a balance of interests among all states in the region. We share the Omani Foreign Minister’s view on the importance of launching an inclusive regional dialogue aimed at reaching agreements on confidence-building and transparency measures in the field of nuclear energy, as well as on mutual security guarantees,” they write. The statement reminds that Russia has been promoting “the concept of collective security in the Persian Gulf, aimed at establishing lasting peace and fostering cooperative relations among all coastal states” for a number of years now.
Such initiatives are urgent. “Moscow is gravely concerned about the continued armed confrontation in the Persian Gulf and the risks of further escalation,” even as the scale of damage to energy and other critical infrastructure in Iran and neighboring Arab states is increasing, the Foreign Ministry writes.
