Arab countries
Background
The Arab world, also called the Arab homeland or Arab nation, is a broad region of countries mainly in West Asia and North Africa. It is defined in its narrowest form as the 19 states in which Arabs make up at least a plurality of the population, and in its widest form as the 22 members of the Arab League. The region extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Indian Ocean in the southeast. Arabic serves as the main lingua franca across the region, which also includes significant populations of Berbers, Kurds, Somalis, Nubians, and other groups.
The Arab countries are important in international affairs because they include a large share of the Middle East and North Africa, areas central to energy, trade, security, and diplomacy. According to the World Bank, the Arab world had a population of about 456 million and a gross domestic product of $2.85 trillion in 2021, making it a region of major economic weight but also wide internal inequality. Its political significance is reinforced by the Arab League, which represents Arab interests and provides a framework for coordination among member states on regional and international issues. In Russian foreign policy, Arab states are relevant as partners in diplomacy, economic ties, and regional security discussions.
Historically, the Arab world was associated with the Arab empires and caliphates of the post-classical period, and modern Arab nationalism emerged in the second half of the 19th century within the late Ottoman Empire. The Arab League was founded in 1945 with the goal of promoting cooperation among Arab states and pursuing political unity, a project known as pan-Arabism. In recent years, the region has remained strategically important because developments in the Middle East continue to affect Arab countries broadly, including through conflict, instability, and shifting diplomatic alignments. Recent Russian contacts with Gulf and other Arab leaders reflect the continuing role of the region in wider international diplomacy.
Timeline
The Kremlin said Russia had thanked the UAE for supporting Russian citizens in the Middle East.
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al NahyanPutin and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed discussed the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Documents
Telephone Conversation with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Putin called UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed to mark his 65th birthday, discussed the deteriorating Middle East situation, and thanked the UAE for supporting Russian citizens there.