Aspects of Russia's Foreign Policy

Last UPDATE: November 21

The following statements, quoted from an important Egyptian daily, imply that Russia's foreign policy is aimed at weakening U.S. influence in Egypt and the East-Pacific. While the Middle East is dominated by a U.S.-Israeli alliance, the East-Pacific is where U.S.-Japanese interests collide with long-standing territorial claims made by China and Russia. China, as well, has already undertaken or encouraged joint naval manoeuvres with Russia (2012 / 2013) and India, another regional power on the rise.




ـ«لافروف»: روسيا مستعدة لتمويل مشروعات الطاقة النووية المصرية

Headline:
[Russia's foreign minister] Lavrov: Russia is prepared to finance nuclear energy projects in Egypt.

روسيا والهند تجريان مناورات بحرية مشتركة في بحر اليابان العام المقبل

Russia and India encourage joint naval manoeuvres in the Japanese Sea for the coming year.

ـ«نوفوستي»: مصر وقَّعت مع روسيا عقودًا لشراء أنظمة دفاع جوي جديدة

[Russia's news agency] Novosti: Egypt signs contracts with Russia for buying new air defence systems.

As a price for Russia's help, Lavrov mentions some "helpfulness" from Egypt when it comes to support Russia's navy in the Mediterranean as there is no Russian naval base left after the Syrian base of Tartus was allegedly abandoned in 2012 because of the civil war in Syria.

وشدد «لافروف» على أن «روسيا ومصر لم تقطعا العلاقات بعد الثورة»، مؤكدًا رغبة بلاده في توطيد مواقعها في منطقة البحر المتوسط، ومن أجل ذلك تريد روسيا أن تحصل على تسهيلات لقواتها البحرية من مصر.ـ

ِAnd Lavrov pointed out that while " Russia and Egypt did not break off [their] relations after the revolution ", it's a certain wish of his country to stabilize its positions in the Mediterranean region. And because of that, Russia wishes to obtain "helpfulness" for its maritime forces in Egypt.

وقال «لافروف»: «إن ما يقال بخصوص قاعدة في مصر كلام مبالغ فيه ويسمون (طرطوس) أيضًا بالقاعدة العسكرية البحرية، لكنها ليست قاعدة، ..... ».ـ

And Lavrov said: " Only to [specially mention] a base in Egypt would be saying too much, and, even more, [naming] Tartus as the navy's base. Yet, there is no such base. ... "

[Source: Egypt Today المصري اليوم on November 20, 2013]



Chinese TV screenshot: Joint Chinese-Russian naval manoeuvres
in the Japanese Sea in 2012. Similar naval exercises took place
in the same region in 2013.

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Washington DC: Public hotspot at the White House (above).
Saint Petersburg: Seaport and Ermitage Museum (below).



Choice of localized visitors to "blueprint news" for November 15-22 (below).