PNN – Although the Ilyasat Islands cannot cause tension between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it will create deep gaps between the two leaders of the Arabian Peninsula.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, Saudi Arabia sent a note of protest against the United Arab Emirates government to the United Nations. In its protest note, Riyadh called the action of the Abu Dhabi government in declaring the Ilyasat area as a marine protected area illegal.
Saudi Arabia believes that according to the documents in 1974 during the treaty that recognized the United Arab Emirates, this region was accepted as a region that has shared sovereignty. Saudi Arabia envisions a common territorial sovereignty over that region, although the UAE considers it to be only Emirati.
All-round border conflicts between Saudi Arabia and the UAE with its neighbors
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, various countries emerged in the West Asian region, and after this transformation, the southern countries of the Persian Gulf, Jordan and Iraq were born. For this reason, the countries of this region generally face the problems of sovereign borders. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also have serious border problems with their neighbors. Before addressing the border problems of the “Eliasat” islands, we will discuss some of the border disputes of these two countries with their other neighbors.
Tiran and Sanafir Islands:
In order to connect to the Gulf of Aqaba and to find a superior geopolitical position to connect with the Zionist regime, Riyadh needed the islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Egypt, at the same time as Egypt’s economic problems and the economic superiority of Saudi Arabia, at one point it tried to claim these two islands under its own name.
After approving the agreement on the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir islands, which is disputed in the Egyptian courts, the Egyptian cabinet referred it to the parliament of this country for approval.
This agreement was presented by Riyadh during the last visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Cairo and his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. After this agreement, Abdul Aziz promised to invest billions of dollars in Egypt.
However, after a period of time, the Supreme Administrative Court canceled the transfer of Tiran and Sanafir Islands to Saudi Arabia, which caused the tensions between the two countries to increase.
Arash gas field
Arash gas field was one of the geo-economic areas that became prominent after the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. After the establishment of relations between Riyadh and Tehran, Arash gas field became headline news due to pressure from the western parties. Some countries tried to turn the Arash gas field into a dispute between Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
According to the dispute regarding the maritime borders between Kuwait and Iran and according to the contribution of each of them, Saudi Arabia’s entry into this issue is considered a new conflict in Saudi Arabia’s relations with its neighbors.
United Arab Emirates border dispute with Oman
The most obvious border dispute between the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates was related to the Al Barimi region, which was finally resolved based on the agreement reached between the three countries of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Misunderstandings between the UAE and the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the three islands
Abu Dhabi’s misunderstanding regarding the three islands of Iran also causes this issue to heat up in the public opinion of the countries of the region from time to time, the UAE tries to put pressure on Iran by using repeated statements regarding the three islands. The United Arab Emirates is trying to follow its pressure on Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to gain territorial gains, considering the atmosphere created in the regional inflammations.
Reasons for the dispute between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh regarding the Ilyasat Islands
Historical reasons: a historical look at the maritime area that is located between the borders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which is historically also known as the Bani Yas creeks. This city is located on the coast of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and its name is taken from the Bani Yas tribe. It consists of two islands, Upper Yasat in the north and Lower Yasat in the south; In the past, this island was a resting place for Abu Dhabi divers (from the Bani Yas tribe).
This region, which was written based on the 1974 agreement between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, during the acceptance of the territorial sovereignty of the UAE by the King of Saudi Arabia, emphasized that our islands will be jointly governed by Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. However, the United Arab Emirates has made this island its exclusive right since 2000 by increasing its activities in these islands and finally by imposing marine protection restrictions.
Geopolitics: This island plays an economic and geo-economic role in the Persian Gulf region due to its proximity to the Al-Sheiba oil field and its proximity to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The UAE is trying to show its economic and territorial dominance by putting pressure on Saudi Arabia.
Also, due to the presence of coral beaches and the aspect of industrial fishing that these islands have, it can also witness the deprivation of Saudi Arabia from aspects of commercial tourism and fish.
These islands, which have been under negotiation between the two sides since 2009, have not yet reached a conclusion, and after 15 years of negotiations, they are referred to international proceedings, which shows the deep difference between the two leaders of the Arab world.
In summary, we can say: the competition between bin Zayed and bin Salman to be the absolute compass of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council is going on seriously; Both of these leaders are trying to increase their share in getting closer to America, balancing with Iran, developing exports, extracting gas and oil from the fields, and finally maximizing their territorial rights, regardless of the competition they have with Turkey and Iran.
Although the Ilyasat Islands cannot cause tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, it will create deep gaps between the two leaders of the Arabian Peninsula. On the other hand, the close relations between Abu Dhabi and Washington have also created this illusion for Abu Dhabi that it can encroach on the territories of its neighbors, as it has had a misunderstanding regarding the three islands and the Ilyasat region.