Saudi Emirate Relations

In 1971, Saudi Arabia refused to recognize the United Arab Emirates because of a territorial dispute over Al-Buraimi’s affiliation ^[2] . On July 29, 1974, an agreement was signed on the settlement of the territorial dispute over Al-Buraimi ’s property. According to the agreement, Oman received three villages, and the UAE six villages, as well as both countries ceded the Shayba oil field to Saudi Arabia. The agreement provided for the granting of Saudi Arabia the right to enter the Persian Gulf through the territory of the UAE. During the conflict in the Oman governorate, Dofar , Oman received substantial financial support from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait . The Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 and the danger of spreading militant Islam , the Iran-Iraq war and the potential to interrupt the movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz led to the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar ). The GCC was created to ensure the collective security of member states. In practice, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 showed that the GCC was ineffective in deterring and responding to aggression by neighboring states ^[3] .

In April 2010, Riyadh called on Abu Dhabi to correct the map in accordance with the border agreement signed in 1974 and which was registered by Saudi Arabia with the United Nations in 1993. The Emirates responded by declaring that the 1974 agreement had never been ratified by the Federal National Council. The agreement gave Saudi Arabia a 25 km wide corridor to the bay called Khor al-Udaid and access to hydrocarbons in the Shaibah-Zarrarah field, but because of this, the UAE and Qatar were deprived of a common land border. In return, the UAE retained the Al Ain region , which the Saudi armed forces tried to seize in the 1950s. At the same time, some analysts are considering the option that the Emirates are not ready to abandon the implementation of the provisions of the controversial agreement, since this country formed the Border Council in late 2009. Despite tensions, Saudi Arabia remains the UAE’s most important neighbor. Many Saudi tourists visit the UAE, the market of Saudi Arabia is the main market for manufacturers of the UAE. Emirates also rely on the support of Saudi Arabia in a dispute with Iran over the ownership of the island of Abu Musa ^[4] .