Middle Eastern leaders converge on Kazakhstan

Several Middle East-related developments came out of meetings in Kazakhstan this week. 

From Oct. 12-13, the Central Asian country hosted the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which includes several Middle Eastern states. Today, Kazakhstan began hosting the annual Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) meeting, which consists of former members of the Soviet Union. 

The following are some important meetings, developments and agreements from both gatherings:

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, during which Putin suggested that Russia could export more gas via Turkey and turn the Eurasian country into an energy hub. 

On Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak further suggested Turkey could be used to export more gas to Europe, Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency reported. 

Palestinian Authority

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also met with Putin on Thursday. Abbas told Putin that Palestinians “don't trust America” regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but are “completely satisfied” with Russia’s position, according to Reuters. 

Israel

The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday that Israel successfully squashed a bid by the Palestinian Authority to include language on the conflict in a declaration made during the conference. 

Iran

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Astana, as well as Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to discuss improving relations, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency. 

Qatar

Emir Al Thani also met with Putin and discussed politics and trade, according to Al Jazeera. 

The Qatari news outlet The Peninsula also reported that Qatar and Kazakhstan signed investment agreements Thursday. 

UAE

The United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, led the Emirati delegation to the conference, according to the official Emirates News Agency. 

Know more: At the Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Kazakhstan today, Putin suggested member states use their own currencies for payments with one another, as opposed to the US dollar. The news was picked up by some Middle Eastern outlets, including Anadolu Agency and Syria’s SANA. 

Iran and Russia began using their national currencies for bilateral trade earlier this year in an effort to rely less on the dollar.