Apparently, it’s Egypt’s turn to be in the middle of ever-shifting Middle East alliances. The recent decision of Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Saudi Aramco, to cut off petroleum supplies to Egypt is, many analysts say, tied to recent political tension between the countries. This tension originated in October with Egypt’s vote, over Saudi objections, to side with Russia on a UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria. Russia backs the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whereas Saudi Arabia backs rebel forces.
Saudi Aramco’s decision came as the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) witnessed a certain improvement in relations with Turkey.
