Central Asia - Moscow's cosy Saudi connection (Bushies should note this)

[lindashaw]

(Note: This is going to change the face of things, big-time in the future....)

In early September Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah made the first visit by a Saudi head of state to Moscow. During this visit the two sides reached agreement on a series of issues with important meaning for the Caucasus and Central Asia.

snip...

But what is interesting here is that despite the concession to Russia and the earlier attempts to curry favor with Washington, Riyadh has not stopped the transfer of funds to either the Taliban or to Palestinian terrorist organizations. Riyadh has by no means abandoned its support for foreign terrorism, rather it has limited its exposure where al-Qaeda is concerned. Undoubtedly these actions, like the concession to Russia, represents as well both sides' unease over American policy in Iraq.

snip...

Thus both sides have now agreed to cooperate on setting the international price of oil to promote stability in the market, ie administered prices and at a relatively high level. While both sides benefit, Russia gains disproportionately because its power has been recognized and acknowledged and its market power will be enhanced, a factor of no small consequence as far as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Russia's potential rivals, are concerned.


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/EI13Ag03.html