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And as we are talking about Sunni-Shia issues and "camps" and so on,
with US weapons sanctions following the crushing of the uprising of the
disenfranchised Shia masses in 2011, and with the current US-Iranian
regional agreement, the Sunni sheiks of Bahrain, like Sisi's bloody
military dictatorship in Egypt, figure getting weapons from the Russian
anti-imperialist camp might make repression more effective.
As US shifts toward Iran, Bahrain turns to Russia for arms
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/11/05/bahrain-ready-russian-arms/
ABU DHABI — Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, is
preparing for the delivery of Russian weapons.
Bahrain began to examine a rapprochement with Russia in 2012 in wake of
U.S. weapons sanctions over its crackdown on a Shi’ite uprising for
which it blamed Iran.
Officials said the two countries were preparing for the export of
Russian missiles to the Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom. They said the
first deliveries of the Kornet-EM mobile anti-tank guided missile system
could take place over the next year.
Officials said Bahrain was moving closer to Russia amid rising tension
with Iran. They said Bahrain and Russia were discussing cooperation in
tourism, media, investment and diplomacy.
“We are confident that bilateral cooperation will develop,” Bahraini
government spokeswoman Sameera Rajab said.
The Kornet deal was signed in mid-2014 in what marked the first major
weapons program between Manama and Moscow. The two countries also agreed
to Russian training of Bahrain’s military.
Britain and other European Union members have blocked security exports
amid the Shi’ite revolt against Manama
Bahrain Looking for New Alliances Closer Ties With Russia: Minister
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20141111/1014628810.html
© Sputnik. Aleksey Nikolskyi 11.11.2014
Bahraini Information Minister Samira Ibrahim bin Rajab stated that
Bahrain is looking to strengthen its ties with Russia.
MOSCOW, November 11 (RIA Novosti) — Bahrain is looking to strengthen its
ties with Russia in a bid to multiply and diversify its international
alliances beyond the United States, Bahraini Information Minister Samira
Ibrahim bin Rajab told Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency
Tuesday.
"Bahrain and other Gulf Arab states are looking to strengthen their
relations with Russia," Samira Rajab said.
The minister confessed that Persian Gulf countries realized just one
alliance – with the US-led group of Western countries – was not enough
to "guarantee stability in the region" and were now forming new
international alliances.
She stressed Manama did not plan to break up with its old-time allies.
"It is important to create various unions and reform the system of
international relations so that it would help to maintain stability,"
Rajab said, adding that only "a truly multipolar" world could guarantee
the balance of power and global stability.
"In this sense, Russia has demonstrated a very deep understanding of
problems in the Middle East," she noted.
In October, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa came to Sochi to
attend Russia's inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix. This was the second trip
of a Bahraini monarch to Russia since the start of 2014. In April,
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited
Moscow to agree Russian arms deliveries
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