Russia’s trade and investment into the Middle East is rapidly developing, with relations both through the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League all helping boost bilateral trade by 25% during 2025. Partially driven by the developments along the INSTC, and new regional free trade agreements, we provide analysis of the growing Russia-Middle East economic partnership. Discover trade statistics, investment flows from the GCC, and business opportunities for companies in both regions.
Iraq’s cabinet has approved an “amicable settlement” with Russia’s Lukoil on transferring oil production operations at the huge West Qurna 2 field to the Basra Oil Company. The agreement concerns invoices and the employment of foreign personnel certified by an authoritative external auditor, the cabinet said in a statement. The transfer has occurred in line […]
Russia’s Rusagro Group, one of the country’s leading agricultural businesses, has created a joint venture, Solrost, with Turkish businessman Sarikurt Bedirkhan for seed production. Solrost will cultivate grains (except rice), leguminous crops, and oilseed seeds. 67% of Solrost is owned by Rusagro, with Bedirkhan holding 33%. Bedirkhan is associated with the Turkish agricultural company, Genesis […]
Russia’s exports of molasses rose 2.2 fold in 2025, to reach nearly US$58 million in value. In physical terms, shipments increased 28% to 555,000 tonnes, the Agroexport federal center has said. Molasses are derived from sugar beet and are used as a sweetener in numerous consumable products from beer to sauces and baking. The main […]
Part One of a Seven-Part Series in which we document the rise of the new outbound Russian entrepreneurial investor. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has emerged as one of the most strategically contested economic theaters of the 2020s. No longer defined solely by hydrocarbons, the Gulf today represents a global capital allocator, logistics nexus, […]
A delegation from the Moscow City government has visited Riyadh Techno Valley – a science and technology park in Riyadh operating under King Saud University—as part of the business program of the “INNOPROM. Saudi Arabia” International Industrial Exhibition. They discussed promising areas of cooperation in high-tech industries. Riyadh Techno Valley is a key strategic project […]
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Russia’s FESCO Transport Group has increased the capacity of the FESCO Indian Line West (FIL-W) container line, connecting Novorossiysk, India, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, by almost 20%, the company has reported. The increase occurred due to the replacement of one vessel serving the line with a far larger vessel. Previously, according to the company’s […]
Russia exported agricultural products to Iraq worth US$178 million in 2025, up 2.2-fold from the previous year, while in physical terms supplies increased 2.1-fold to almost 750,000 tonnes, the Russian Agroexport federal center has said. Wheat made up the largest share in exports at almost 400,000 tonnes. More than 108,000 tonnes of barley were exported […]
As global trade and supply chain routes face tectonic shifts driven by sanctions, war games, war threats, geopolitical realignments, and the fracturing of traditional maritime routes, Russia has embarked on an ambitious recalibration of its external connectivity architecture. This strategy extends beyond the historic east-west axes to embrace the Middle East’s Gulf ports as critical […]
The Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, at the Kremlin on Friday (January 30) in an unannounced high-level meeting. Larijani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, was appointed to his post last August. He previously visited Moscow in the summer following US airstrikes […]
On January 29, 2026, the Kremlin once again became a focal point of global diplomacy as President Vladimir Putin held extensive talks with President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The geopolitical and economic substance of the meeting reflected the consolidation of a Russia-UAE strategic partnership at a moment […]
The United Arab Emirates is discussing involvement in the Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom’s projects in third countries, including Turkiye, as an investor, according to Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev. He has stated that “We’re actively inviting our UAE partners to our projects in third countries, and they’re displaying an interest in projects in Central […]
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