Valentina Matvienko's visit to Saudi Arabia. Valentina Matvienko's visit to Saudi Arabia Matvienko's visit to Saudi Arabia
Like all European women visiting rather conservative Saudi Arabia, Valentina will wear a headscarf as a sign of respect for Muslim traditions. At the same time, experts note that by sending a woman statesman to Riyadh, Russia demonstrates the high position of women in Russian society.
Saudi Arabia is only on the path to greater female representation. In February of this year, Women's Day was celebrated here for the first time, while at the same time women here have not even received the right to drive.
The visit of the Federation Council speaker to Riyadh will last from April 15 to 17 and is associated with negotiations with Saudi officials on “the need to join forces in the fight against terrorism,” Matvienko herself said.
Considering that Saudi Arabia is one of the key players in Syria, it is very important for Russia to achieve mutual understanding with the leadership of this country.
So far, this has been difficult - despite the fact that relations between the two countries have improved in recent years, Saudi Arabia supports those groups that advocate the overthrow of the regime of the Syrian president.
Saudi Arabia also supported the American strikes on Syria, and now Matvienko needs to convey to Riyadh how they see the situation from Russia.
As a leading expert at Gulf State Analytics notes, the fact that it was Matvienko who went to Saudi Arabia dismantles her importance as a “political figure.” “Her political role as head carries a certain weight, but her personality also plays a big role, since the arrival of a woman in a Sharia society gives a unique dimension to the visit,” he told Gazeta.Ru.
The expert notes that in addition to Saudi Arabia, Matvienko also visited countries that are so important for Russia from a geopolitical point of view, such as Iran, China, Israel and Japan.
Observers note that Matvienko’s foreign policy activity has recently increased, and this is facilitated by internal political circumstances.
Matvienko, like State Duma Speaker Volodin, “has excellent chances to complement our diplomacy.”
“This is not only inter-parliamentary relations, it is an explanation of Russia’s positions both on friendly platforms and on unfriendly ones. Finding allies and strengthening relations with partners involves contacts not only through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Kalachev told Gazeta.Ru.
As for domestic politics, Matvienko often speaks from a centrist position. An indicator of this is her latest statement regarding street protests in Moscow. The speaker of the Federation Council called for dialogue with the protesters. Recently, she also noted the need to understand the situation around driver strikes caused by the introduction of the Plato system.
April visit of the head of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matvienko to Saudi Arabia has attracted the attention of observers. The occasion was Matvienko’s meeting with the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, to which the senator came wearing a headscarf.
“There is a diplomatic culture,” Matvienko explained her action to TASS, “when you come to another country, you must respect the culture, traditions, religious peculiarities, and this is an indispensable condition not only, if you like, of diplomatic etiquette, but it is also internal culture. If you treat with disdain, then no confidential, respectful dialogue will work. Yes, they will endure everything, accept everything, but a residue will remain in their souls.”
Let us note that Matvienko is not the only Russian politician who, when traveling to the Middle East, changes her dress code in accordance with local ideas about the norm. At the beginning of February, the new outfit of the head of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic caused a great resonance among the residents of Tatarstan. Talia Minnullina, which, as part of the official delegation from Kazan, arrived at the Tatarstan - Saudi Arabia business forum. The official wore a black hijab and a long dress, which even religiously active Muslim women in Tatarstan do not wear (they prefer light colors). And all this was done in order to present the investment potential of Tatarstan to the Arab sheikhs. In the comments to publications with Minnullina’s photo, they joked for a long time: if you go to Africa to present the potential of Tatarstan, should you wear a loincloth?
The desire to please the Middle Eastern sheikhs, which appeared among Russian female politicians, officials or businesswomen (the wife of the ex-mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkova Elena Baturina in October 2016, while visiting Iran, she also wore a hijab), a marked contrast to the way Western female politicians behave when visiting the Middle East.
I would like to note that the US secretaries of state, who are little respected in Russia, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice And Hillary Clinton When going to Muslim countries, they never wore hijabs. It is possible that they did not even think about it. However, the Arab sheikhs respectfully shook their hands and negotiated calmly. At the same time, I would venture to suggest that the ladies were of little interest in whether the sheikhs still had a bad feeling in their souls, but the state interests of the United States always remained at the top.
Condoleezza Rice. Photo: up.graaam.com
Foreign female politicians popular in Russia today behave in the same way. For example, when during the visit of the leader of the French National Front Marine Le Pen in Lebanon, among others, her meeting with the Grand Mufti of Lebanon was planned Abdul Latif, the Mufti's protocol office indicated that Le Pen would have to wear a hijab. Upon learning of this, Le Pen succinctly replied: “Give my deepest respect to the mufti, but I am not going to close my head.” Here a lot becomes clear, including regarding “diplomatic culture.”
I am sure that the Arab sheikhs did not make it an ironclad condition for the meeting that Valentina Matvienko and Talia Minnullina change their wardrobes. And here the question arises: did following the canons of Islam help in achieving state interests?
The press talks sparingly about the results of Matvienko’s visit to Saudi Arabia. It seemed like they were talking about everything and nothing, the only thing that was specifically discussed was the possibility of organizing a tour of the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra under the direction of Valeria Gergieva, the Bolshoi Theater troupe and other creative groups. True, there is a mystery here: theaters and concerts are officially banned in Saudi Arabia. And it’s strange that the third person in Russia, who formally is Valentina Matvienko, discusses tours of creative groups with the head of a foreign state.
When Talia Minnullina went to Saudi Arabia, it was clear that they were counting on the fact that the Saudis would start investing in the economy of Tatarstan. Here you won’t even put on something that will give you money... However, the events with the banking crisis in the republic even then called into question the reliability of investment, and even before the Arabs were not noticed in the desire to invest in the economy of this Russian region.
Perhaps this is still a property of the soul of Russian women who have achieved high government positions - to follow the secret desires of a man in everything. But in government positions it is still desirable to act in the interests of the state.
Aidar Mubarakzyanov, political scientist, Kazan
MOSCOW, April 15 - PRIME. Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko will make a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia; meetings are planned with the country's leadership, the chairman and members of the Kingdom's Advisory Council, the press service of the upper house of the Russian parliament reports.
“Bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia are actively developing in all key areas. Constant contacts have been established at the government and ministerial levels. Saudi Arabia is an important partner of Russia in the Middle East. We are interested in developing and deepening cooperation in a variety of areas,” the Federation Council Chairman noted the day before visit. According to her, the task of parliamentarians is to promote the formation of the necessary regulatory framework for expanding cooperation, to help improve mutual understanding between the business circles of our countries, and strengthen friendly ties.
“It is very important to hear the opinion of the business community of Saudi Arabia on what conditions are necessary for successful interaction in the economic and investment spheres. It is also necessary to intensify cultural cooperation and take it to a new level. We have specific proposals in this regard,” she said Matvienko.
The delegation of the Federation Council included Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, coordinator of the group on cooperation of the upper house with the parliaments of Arab states Ilyas Umakhanov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets Nikolai Zhuravlev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council for International Affairs Alexander Babakov, member of the Federation Council Committee on Agricultural Affairs food policy and environmental management Belan Khamchiev, member of the Federation Council Committee on Rules and Organization of Parliamentary Activities Murat Khapsirokov.
AGENDA AND ACCENTS
On the eve of her trip, Matvienko said in a media interview that Russia is focusing Saudi Arabia’s attention on the need to join forces in the fight against terrorism.
“We focus the attention of the Saudi partners on the need to join forces in the fight against terrorism, in matters of regional stability, and conflict resolution. Our positions do not coincide on all problems, but the more valuable such a dialogue becomes, the opportunity to express one’s point of view and exchange views,” Matvienko said .
The press service of the Federation Council also confirmed that the agenda of the negotiations will include topics of regional security and combining efforts in the fight against terrorism.
“The role of Saudi Arabia in these issues is very significant. We are interested in discussing all aspects, bringing together the positions of our countries,” said the speaker of the upper house.
In addition, the Speaker of the Federation Council emphasized that she expects to further deepen inter-parliamentary ties between the two countries.
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION
It is expected that Matvienko will discuss the establishment of cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s ambassador to Moscow, Abdurrahman al-Rassi, said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
The parliament in Saudi Arabia (Majlis al-Shura) has advisory functions and is entirely formed by the king.
“There is a broad agenda (of the visit - ed.), affecting many areas, with a special focus, of course, on the prospects for expanding and strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries,” al-Rassi said.
TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
The exports of the Russian Federation are dominated by agricultural goods, fertilizers, and primary rolled metal products, while imports are dominated by products of the petrochemical industry.
Also, RDIF and the public fund of Saudi Arabia are closely interacting on issues of joint investment in projects in Russia with a target amount of capital of up to $10 billion. To date, the Saudi fund has invested in the construction of a petrochemical plant of the Sibur group.
In addition, there are prospects for cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. At the same time, the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation between Rosatom and the King Abdullah Science City, signed in 2015, is being implemented. The Russian company is ready to join the project to build 16 nuclear power plant units in the kingdom. The project is envisaged until 2030, the cost is 100 billion dollars.
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest importers of Russian grain.
Original 04/17/2017, 12:32
Tillerson flew away, but promised to return... The dry residue from Tillerson’s negotiations in Moscow is the fate of B. Assad hanging in the air. Tillerson demanded Moscow's consent to his resignation, and Moscow responded that it did not yet see a worthy candidate, but theoretically would not mind if B. Assad and members of his family were given guarantees of immunity at the UN level and a corresponding agreement was signed. (Yanukovych had a written agreement, but that didn’t help either.)
- I didn't say yes, my friend!
- You didn't say no!
And so we parted until mid-May. The coalition countries went to look for a replacement for B. Assad, who will resist Moscow, and Moscow reasonably hopes that nothing will work out for them; a worthy candidate is not yet in sight.
In an atmosphere of uncertainty, Valentina Ivanovna Matvienko went to KSA on a visit.
The Russian Federation does not advocate the idea of preserving the regime of President of the Syrian Arab Republic Bashar al-Assad at any cost. At the same time, the leadership opposes the overthrow of regimes from the outside, said Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko following meetings with the leadership of Saudi Arabia. She also explained why she wore a headscarf at meetings with Saudi sheikhs: these are the subtleties of diplomatic protocol.
In Riyadh, Matvienko met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Chairman of the Majlis al-Shura (Advisory Council, the country's legislative body) Abdullah al-Sheikh.
“We know the position of Saudi Arabia that there will be no peace in Syria and the bloodshed will not stop as long as President Bashar Assad is there. But we have stated our position - that we do not aim to preserve Assad at any cost, we are against the violent overthrow of regimes from the outside - Matvienko told reporters. “These are very dangerous precedents. Yugoslavia, Libya, and Iraq have shown that this is a dangerous and counterproductive path that ends in tragic consequences.” (Quote from TASS.)
The visit takes place against the backdrop of a turbulent situation in Saudi Arabia itself. On Friday in Kyiv, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Ukraine said that the cause of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg was Russia's actions in Syria. This political statement by the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, very similar to a confession, was published by the British daily newspaper The Independent by A. Lebedev.
Saudi Ambassador to Ukraine: Russia must change its policy
Condemning the recent terrorist attacks in St. Petersburg, the Saudi Ambassador to Ukraine blamed the Russian President for this incident.
On Friday in Kyiv, in an exclusive interview with The Independent, Jadiy Al-Khezal, in particular, pointed to recent incidents in Russia and the Middle East. He, expressing sympathy for the families of the victims of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, strongly condemned it and said: “Every terrorist attack in all corners of the world has its own reasons, which must be resolved quickly so that such incidents do not happen again and the lives of innocent people are not at risk.” .
Al-Hezal said: “We have already warned Russia and Iran about supporting terrorism, but unfortunately they did not pay attention and continued to support terrorism. Iranians should also know that such an incident would not be unexpected in their country, so Iran and Russia had better stop supporting the Assad regime."
Regarding the recent missile attack on Syria by the United States, the diplomat said: “We support this move. It is necessary to eradicate terrorism in Syria as soon as possible. Trump and his allies made the best decision. I thank the Government of Ukraine for the United States' support for this step. It seems that Russia has not yet learned its lessons from recent events and is still interfering in Syrian affairs.”
“We previously proved Russia’s practical strength in Chechnya, which was based on the will of the Muslims of the Caucasus, but Moscow did not heed our warning at that time,” Al-Hezal added.
A US warship in the Mediterranean fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Shayrat Air Base, near the city of Homs, on April 6, killing at least 16 people, including nine civilians, and causing extensive damage. In response to the attack, Russia suspended a deal with the United States to prevent air clashes in Syria.
The concern of the leadership of the KSA can be understood: having lost the support of Washington after the loss of Hillary Clinton in the elections, the ruling elite of the KSA became even more dependent on Great Britain, which would not have been so bad, but ISIS, being squeezed out of Syria and Iraq, having not found understanding in Afghanistan and Libya may choose Saudi Arabia as the next springboard for the “fight against infidels.” Again, ordinary ISIS fighters will have something to take from the houses of the snickering Saudi nobility...
If we remember about the protracted military conflict between KSA and Yemen, then one can only sympathize with them. They cannot fight on their own.
After claims in American courts for compensation for damages to victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks begin pouring in, money to pay mercenaries will quickly run out. Great Britain and the United States are not rushing to help them, but are defending their geopolitical interests in the region. I hope Valentina Ivanovna was able to console them at least a little.
Links
The delegation of the Federation Council led by the Chairman of the Chamber Valentina Matvienko completed its visit to Saudi Arabia. Following meetings with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and members of the Advisory Council, the parties agreed to develop cooperation in the military-technical, energy and nuclear fields. The receiving party especially noted the speaker’s respectful attitude towards the traditions of the country: the head of the Federation Council covered her head with a scarf during meetings and was dressed in the colors traditional for the Arab state - green and black.
The visit of the Russian delegation to Saudi Arabia lasted two days - during this time, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko held negotiations with representatives of parliament and met with the country's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. According to Valentina Matvienko, she had a “very positive feeling from the trip.”
The king has repeatedly emphasized not only his interest in developing bilateral relations in all areas, but also said that Saudi Arabia wants to develop friendly relations with Russia. This is a friendly country for us, which was confirmed at other levels,” the speaker said.
A return visit of the Saudi king to Russia could take place as early as this year, Valentina Matvienko said. This agreement was reached during negotiations.
The king immediately gave us all the necessary instructions to the government regarding the preparation of the content [of the visit], she explained.
Vice Speaker of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov, in a conversation with Izvestia, noted that Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir called the visit of the Russian delegation historic. The last time a Russian politician visited this country was Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007.
There were no more political leaders of the “first four,” recalled Ilyas Umakhanov. “We felt the emphatically friendly welcome that was provided, and held lengthy negotiations with the chairman of the Consultative Council of Saudi Arabia, who brought almost half of the parliament to the meeting, including a large group of women parliamentarians. We also had a long and meaningful conversation with the king, which was of an off-the-record nature.
The delegation of the receiving party noted not only the diplomatic, but also the stylistic approach of the speaker to the negotiations. Valentina Matvienko covered her head with a scarf during meetings and paid special attention to the color of her clothes: she came to a meeting with the country's leadership in a dark green dress (green is considered the color of Islam), later changing it to black with silver embroidery.
There is a diplomatic culture: if you come to another country, you must respect the culture and traditions,” explained Valentina Matvienko in a conversation with Izvestia. - If you are somehow dismissive, then no trustful, respectful dialogue will work. Yes, they will endure everything, they will accept it, but, of course, a sediment in their soul will remain.
The speaker's style was also noted by members of the Saudi Arabian Advisory Council.
Many women, deputies of the Advisory Council, came up to me, and they especially emphasized this: “Thank you for being so respectful of our traditions. Thank you for wearing green - this is our color, it suits you,” said Valentina Matvienko, adding that “it’s from such little things that diplomatic patterns that have no knots are embroidered.”
Commenting on the results of the visit, the speaker said that there are “some differences” between Russia and Saudi Arabia - in particular, in approaches to resolving conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, but “there is still more than what unites us.”
Particular attention during the visit, according to Valentina Matvienko, was paid to the Syrian settlement.
We know the position of Saudi Arabia that there will be no peace in Syria and the bloodshed will not stop as long as the president is Bashar al-Assad. But we have stated our position, we do not have the goal of preserving Assad at any cost, but we are against the violent overthrow of regimes from the outside - these are very dangerous precedents,” Valentina Matvienko explained, adding that the different approaches are not “antagonistic in nature” and do not put countries “at risk.” different sides of the barricades."
Saudi Arabia, the speaker emphasized, is interested in cooperation with Russia primarily in the military-technical sphere, in the energy and nuclear industries, as well as in agriculture. This was confirmed by the Chairman of the Commission for Economic and Energy Affairs of the Advisory Council, Abdurrahman Al-Rashid. He told media representatives that Saudi Arabia views Russia as a strategic partner.
We have a common interest in energy resources with Russia, since both countries are major producers of oil and gas,” he explained, adding that Saudi Arabia intends to produce electricity using nuclear technology.
The head of the Russia-Saudi Arabia Friendship Commission in the Advisory Council, Faiz Al-Shahri, recalled that friendly relations between the countries have lasted more than 90 years.
Many may not know, but Russia was the first non-Arab country to recognize the state of Saudi Arabia in 1926, he said.
On such a positive note, Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen relations with Russia in all directions, concluded the head of the Friendship Commission.
