In an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, Jafar Ghanadbashi about the border dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the Ilyasat maritime zone and Saudi complaint to the United Nations, said: The border dispute between the two countries has different historical, border, oil, tourism and economic dimensions. The UAE has occupied this area for many years and is pursuing trade and investment there, especially in tourism.

He stated that the escalation of the tension could not necessarily be a border or territorial integrity issue between the two sides. He noted that the two countries have a great economic and commercial perspective for the region’s future, especially Saudi Arabia, whose commercial and economic plans and programs for the next decade are remarkable. Since the United Arab Emirates is considered a kind of state company, the more expanded territory it has, the more investment companies it can attract. Regarding the mentioned region, it seems that investment companies in tourism and oil are involved, not necessarily the governments.

This regional issues expert pointed out: Of course, this difference has military dimensions. Since the start of the war in Yemen, significant disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which participated in this war, emerged in such a way that proxy groups from these two countries were fighting each other in Yemen. Although the situation in Yemen has calmed down, these differences have also faded. Still, it seems that due to the rise of Saudi Arabia for economic and commercial development in the region, these differences are being pushed to the sea. A new dimension of verbal conflict between the two countries has been witnessed.

He also clarified: Muhammad bin Salman, who is about to be appointed the king of Saudi Arabia, is trying to maintain a national image of himself, especially in recent years, when he suffered a lot of pressure in the process of reforms he introduced to Saudi society; therefore, the mention of his name in connection with a territorial issue would improve his image and probably more support for him in the domestic scene.

Ghanadbashi stated that the reduction in the level of tension in the issue of Yemen and Iran has caused Saudi Arabia to pay more attention to its differences with the countries of the Persian Gulf, and said: As long as the war in Yemen was going on with great intensity and Riyadh had cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran, this country could not argue with  UAE over its differences because it was not in the interest of the group of Persian Gulf countries and their alliance, but now that the space has become more open, the competitions are no longer the same as before.

He said: Although Saudi Arabia has complained to the United Nations regarding its border dispute with the United Arab Emirates, the developments and relations between the two countries do not indicate that they intend to have a tense fight with each other.

This action and media coverage seem to pressure the UAE to reduce this issue somehow. Behind the scenes are big companies that want to invest in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the dispute between the two countries will probably be resolved peacefully. Saudi Arabia tends to involve the United Nations to gain international legitimacy for its claim somehow; at the same time, the UAE does not want to get into trouble with the United Nations, so it is unlikely that they will have a serious dispute over this issue. Become

This expert on regional issues stated that maybe the UAE will not leave the Ilyasat region quickly, or even Saudi Arabia may give it some parts. Still, in any case, it is unlikely for us to see a significant difference between them. Therefore, they are likely to partner with each other in this region, and the UAE will also offer concessions to Saudi Arabia in the field of investment.