Saudi Arabia's Strong Criticism of Putin's Letter to Arab Summit

The Saudi Foreign Minister accused Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, of "duplicity" during the Arab League summit, stating that while he supports Bashar al-Assad, contributing to instability in the region, he should not speak of his support for the Middle East. This sharp criticism came after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that Putin's message would be read at the Arab League summit in Egypt. In that letter, the Russian President expressed support for the establishment of a Palestinian state and stated that he would assist in bilateral and multilateral peace efforts. In part of the message, Vladimir Putin said, "We support the Arab intention to achieve a prosperous future and solve all problems in the Arab world through peaceful means, without any foreign interference." After the message was read, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal reacted, stating that "he (Putin) speaks of Middle Eastern problems as if Russia has no impact on these issues." Saud al-Faisal remarked, "They talk about the tragedy in Syria while they are a fundamental part of this tragedy for the Syrian people; they are arming the Syrian government against its own people." He added, "I hope the President of Russia corrects this issue so that the relationship between the Arab world and Russia can reach its best level." The relationship between Russia and Saudi Arabia has cooled due to Moscow's support for the central government in Damascus. Alongside Russia, Tehran is also considered one of Assad's main supporters. Saudi Arabia and most Arab countries in the region support groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. The West also backs a group of Assad's opponents, primarily gathered in the "National Coalition of Syria." On the other hand, some experts consider Saudi Arabia to be the largest source of extremist Islamist groups that have gone to countries like Syria. The Saudi government has killed or prosecuted many members of groups like al-Qaeda in recent years and accepted UN sanctions against fundraisers for terrorist organizations last year.