MEP Gyöngyösi: Iran and Saud Arabia restore diplomatic relations with China lurking in the background

Iranian-Saudi relations could hardly ever be called warm: the two Middle Eastern countries have always been traditional rivals, largely due to the fact that Saudi Arabia is the centre of Sunni Islam, while Iran is the leading Shiite Muslim state. Recent decades have seen the two countries on opposing sides in terms of foreign affairs: while post-revolution Islamic Iran became an opponent of the United States and the western world, Saudi Arabia has long been an integral member of the American alliance (even though human rights are quite far from what Europe or the US are used to).

In light of all that, it was a huge achievement for Chinese diplomacy to have the two sides sit at the same table and, even more importantly, open embassies in each other’s capitals.

The agreement will clearly bolster stability in the Middle East. However, this stability now has China in the background, which is an important aspect to consider. Although the western world was able to demonstrate an exemplary unity against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a united (and functional) European foreign policy remains a distant utopia when it comes to other geopolitical regions. Fully aware of that, China keeps increasing its presence in the third world.

The question is: will Europe understand the risk of letting other powers, in this case China, gradually take over dominance in other areas of the world?

Disclaimer: the sole liability for the opinions stated rests with the author(s). These opinions do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Parliament.