Russia moves towards Indian Ocean
29.11.2017
The geopolitical advance to the warm seas that began in the era of the Russian Empire continues. Fixed with the help of the naval base of Tartus and the airbase Khemeymim on the Mediterranean coast of Syria, Moscow is seriously considering the possibility of moving to the Indian Ocean, or rather - the Red Sea.
It is important to note that the question of the presence of Russian military in this region was raised not by the Kremlin, but by the President of the Sudan. Omar al-Bashir made such an offer during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Many experts are sure that Moscow will seriously consider Khartoum's proposal.
Sudan can become one of the key mediators in the future constructive interaction of Russia with the Muslim world. In addition, geopolitically, this country is on the road to major migration flows and is a kind of gateway connecting the African continent with the Middle East.
Skeptics believe that in this way the Sudanese authorities are trying to solve their internal political problems. The presence of a friendly Russian contingent would significantly strengthen the position of the country's leadership. In addition, there are doubts about the rationality of financial spending on such a large project, given that the flying time to the Red Sea from the base of Khmeimim is about 20 minutes.
However, it is important to remember that this region is under the close attention of the world's largest powers. Thus, in a small state of Djibouti, located on the junction of the Red Sea and the Strait of Aden, Pakistan, Italy, the United States, France have their bases, and since August this year China. All the fault is the oil routes, stretching from the Persian Gulf to Europe and the USA via the Suez Canal.
It is possible that for Russia, as for a major player in the oil market and a key force in the Middle East settlement, it would be extremely interesting to get a strong point along the route of oil tankers for Western partners. In any case, such decisions should be made solely on the basis of Russian national interests and issues of strengthening our influence in the region.
