Emir of Kuwait in Middle East crisis talks with Russian President Putin

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabbah Al Ahmed Al Sabah (pictured below) has held talks with Russian President Putin in Sochi about the future stability of the Middle East.

Kuwait is known internationally as an oil rich country with a strategic location in the Gulf. But it is also playing a crucial role in in the Syrian crisis, as a communications bridge between Shia and Sunni muslims and a voice of moderation in diplomatic relations between Iran and the Arab world. 

Kuwait's leader, Sheikh Sabbah Al Ahmed Al Sabah is the longest serving diplomat living in the world today. Before assuming the position of head of state and Emir of Kuwait he served as foreign minster of Kuwait from 1963 to 2003. Forty years of being his nation's chief diplomat have given him a huge reservoir of experience to deal with complex political issues.

It is precisely this experience that the Middle East at this point in its history needs in order to address the crisis in Syria and to handle Iran's aggressive ambitions in the gulf region and beyond.

Kuwait has so far taken a moderate stance on Syria. It has taken the lead on humanitarian relief for Syrian refugees. In the last 12 months Kuwait has held three donor conferences for Syrian refugee and displaced persons from the Syrian civil war in partnership with the UN. For each donor conference Kuwait successfully managed to collect more than one billion dollars to support refugees. As a host country for the conferences, Kuwait was each time the single largest donor. For this feat the UN has honoured Kuwait's Emir as a "great humanitarian leader” at the UN headquarters in New York .

But in the meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis facing Syrian refugees fleeing war in their homeland shows no signs of abating, and continues to cause chaos in Europe, with current projections suggesting that as many as 3 million refugees could seek shelter in Europe in 2016.

The Russian presence in Syria has so far been welcomed by Kuwait as a stabilizing force in the Middle East, to balance the conflict and seek an end civil war in Syria. Kuwait wishes to win the hearts and minds of Arabs to support the Russian mission in Syria and to call for a diplomatic solution to the Syrian problem.

The Emir of Kuwait through his visits to Iran has also become a moderating force as the only gulf country that engages Iran at the top level despite the difficulties the Shia communities of the gulf present as a security challenge. Kuwait still holds on to the hope that the Shia-Sunni divide can be bridged and that Iranian-Arab relations can be nurtured back on track through the diplomacy of engagement.

Whether or not Kuwait will succeed as a catalyst for change in the Middle East through intensive and energetic diplomacy, the Emir certainly holds the key to a valuable partnership opportunity for President Putin in terms of foreign policy.

But Russia also needs Kuwait - and other gulf states - to co-operate with their broader strategy for oil prices to bring world prices back to a level that will resuscitate Russia’s heavily energy reliant economy.

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