Cultural move: Russian House in the UAE will appear within two years
The Russian House will open in the UAE in 2026-2027, Rossotrudnichestvo told Izvestia. His representative will soon appear at the Russian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the future, a Russian socio-cultural center may be opened in Saudi Arabia. The ministry emphasizes that an intergovernmental agreement is needed to launch the official Russian House, but it takes time to conclude it. Experts state that Russia is consistently strengthening cultural contacts with the Persian Gulf states. Moscow's long—term goal is to firmly integrate itself into regional relations and secure its place as a country that is constantly involved in the reformatting of the Middle East.
Opening of a Russian house in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
Russia is preparing to open a Russian house in the United Arab Emirates. Moscow has taken the first practical steps to achieve this. A Russian representative will travel to the country in the near future, his tasks will be to carry out humanitarian work and organize cultural events, Rossotrudnichestvo told Izvestia. The ministry expressed hope that the Russian House will be able to open in the Emirates as early as 2026-2027.
View of Abu Dhabi
— In fact, the first steps have already been taken in the UAE to implement this idea (opening a Russian house. In the future: Rossotrudnichestvo will send a representative to the Russian Embassy in the near future. The diplomatic mission is based in Abu Dhabi, but our representative will do most of the work in Dubai, which is home to a huge Russian-speaking community. An intergovernmental agreement is needed to open an official Russian house, and this does not happen quickly. We will hope for 2026-2027," the ministry said.
It is too early to talk about the timing of the opening of the Russian House in Saudi Arabia, Rossotrudnichestvo clarified. Despite this, Russia is trying to hold regular events with both Arab countries to strengthen economic, political and humanitarian ties. For example, such work is being carried out with Riyadh through the joint Russian-Saudi intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. Representatives of Middle Eastern countries are becoming frequent guests in Russia, taking part in major international events. Thus, representatives of the UAE were guests of the international economic forum "Russia — the Islamic World: KazanForum" in Kazan in May 2025.
Nevertheless, such steps seem insignificant compared to what the opening of a Russian House in the Persian Gulf countries could lead to. In fact, this would mean creating a space that would allow local residents to join Russian culture.
In every country where Russian Houses operate today, lectures, seminars, and other events on history, education, science, and literature are regularly held. The Russian language is also not ignored — special courses are organized for everyone. Russian Houses also participate in university-to-university exchanges, inviting hundreds of international students to study in Russia.
The countries of the Persian Gulf are showing interest in those scientific and educational fields in which the Russian Federation retains academic leadership to this day. These are nuclear physics, cryptography, and certain engineering and metallurgical specialties, orientalist Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.
How Russia pursues a policy of soft power
Although residents of the Persian Gulf states now visit Russia relatively infrequently, the opening of direct flights to Saudi Arabia, which is scheduled to take place in October, could change the situation.
— Tourists are interested to see the winter, snow is something that is not available in Saudi Arabia. A more diverse audience is coming from the Emirates. Hotels and halal restaurants have been built here for them," Elena Melkumyan, a leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
In part, cultural and humanitarian ties with countries depend on the number of Russians who live in the Persian Gulf states. So, the representative of Rossotrudnichestvo will go specifically to Dubai, where the Russian-speaking community, according to unofficial data, can number up to 500 thousand people. There are at least 10 schools in the country where instruction is conducted in Russian.
Many moved to the UAE back in the early 2020s, mainly from Tatarstan, Chechnya and a number of other republics. People went there to, for example, open a small business, says Elena Melkumyan. The number of Russians in Dubai has increased significantly in the last few years.
In Saudi Arabia, where all Islamic laws are very strictly observed, the situation for Russians turned out to be more complicated. When choosing a place of residence, they often stay in the UAE, where life is expensive but more comfortable, Melkumyan notes. In 2023, it became known about the opening of the first Russian school in Riyadh.
Russia strengthens ties with UAE and Saudi Arabia
The development of cultural and humanitarian ties would be impossible without deepening political dialogue. The UAE has long been a center of attraction for Russian investments and holds the lead among Arab countries in terms of investments in the Russian economy. Russian business is actively operating in the country: over 700 companies are registered here, and in 2023 a special Eurasian trade and Industrial hub was established in the economic zone in Abu Dhabi. Among other things, Russian information systems are also advancing in the country: for example, Yandex is developing the Yango service and delivery using robot couriers.
On July 7, Russia ratified an agreement with the UAE on the elimination of double taxation, which will contribute to a mutual increase in investment. In addition, in June, the Emirates signed a free trade agreement with the EAEU. Since 2020, the trade turnover between the EAEU and the UAE has tripled, and after the agreement enters into force, it may exceed $20 billion.
Vladimir Putin has a regular dialogue with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. So, in March, they had a telephone conversation, and last October, the UAE president visited Russia. It is worth noting that the Russian leader visited the Emirates and Saudi Arabia at the end of 2023.
Moscow's economic relations with Riyadh are noticeably inferior to Abu Dhabi, but they are strengthening every year. In 2024, the trade turnover between Russia and Saudi Arabia increased by 60%, exceeding $3.8 billion. According to the results of the first quarter of 2025, it was possible to increase it four times, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said at a meeting with the kingdom's Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman.
In addition, Riyadh is an important member of OPEC+, which plays a key role in ensuring global energy security. The issue of oil production within the cartel is constantly in the spotlight during Russian-Saudi contacts. The telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in March 2025 was no exception. In addition to energy, the parties also discussed the issue of resolving the Ukrainian crisis. The Russian leader thanked his colleague for his mediation efforts and the creation of favorable conditions for holding talks between Russia and the United States in Riyadh on February 18.
"Russia is striving to combine classic diplomatic tools and soft power tools, and increasing the density of Russian homes in the Middle East looks like a completely natural trend in this strategy," Leonid Tsukanov said. — The long—term goals of the Russian Federation are to firmly integrate itself into regional relations and secure its place as a country that constantly participates in the reformatting of the Middle East not only as a political mediator, but also as one of the legislators of cultural trends.
In modern geopolitical conditions, the UAE and Saudi Arabia play an important role as mediators in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. They have repeatedly become platforms for negotiations and prisoner exchanges. We must not forget that the UAE has been a member of the BRICS since 2024. Saudi Arabia also participates in the group's events from time to time. The Russian Federation's dialogue with Arab countries is strengthened by common positions on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (the parties advocate the creation of a Palestinian state), as well as the confrontation between Iran and Israel.
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