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Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed
Outside the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan is best known as the owner of English football club Manchester City. At home, he is the deputy prime minister and a prominent member of the ruling family.
But several sources familiar with Abu Dhabi’s cooperation with the Russians, who requested anonymity, said in their testimonies to Bloomberg Agency that Sheikh Mansour also has a role behind the scenes, a role that has increased in importance in recent months and is represented in helping to manage relations with wealthy Russians who are looking forward To transfer money to the United Arab Emirates.
Those sources added that while Sheikh Mansour has long been involved in the development of Emirati-Russian relations, the importance and complexities of that role have emerged since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed accompanied his brother, Mohammed, the Crown Prince and de facto ruler of the Emirates in various meetings with Russian companies. And in 2019, he was present when Mohammed bin Zayed met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Abu Dhabi.
Before the invasion, the Russians also ranked fourth among tourists who headed to Dubai in the first two months of 2022, with about 137,000 tourists, more than double the previous year, albeit less than pre-pandemic levels, according to the Dubai government.
After the invasion, the United States, the European Union and other countries handcuffed Russia with thousands of new financial restrictions, making it the most sanctioned country in the world, but the United Arab Emirates did not impose any restrictions.
Officials there took the position that Abu Dhabi respects international law, but is not required to follow the procedures implemented by certain countries.
Other allies of the United States, including Israel and India, have taken a similar stance as the UAE in reluctance to impose restrictions.
But this approach has alarmed some Western officials who are concerned about loopholes in their sanctions programs.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Moscow at the end of last February
Earlier this month, US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeemo raised Washington’s concerns about Russian business tycoons transferring assets to the United Arab Emirates in a phone call with Emirati officials, two people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg.
Several insiders told Bloomberg that senior government officials, wealthy businessmen and financial executives from Russia are increasingly reaching out to Sheikh Mansour and his office to help run government operations in the UAE, adding that Russians have become more interested in investing in that country since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Those sources added that some are looking to buy apartments in Dubai, while others want to buy luxury cars or need help opening bank accounts and financial companies.
Those sources went on to tell Bloomberg that the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, led by Sheikh Mansour, has provided greater aid since the invasion.
Emirati officials view Sheikh Mansour’s efforts as part of the government’s broader strategy to attract global business and maintain strategic relationships with East and West.
Those sources said that the relationship between Russia and the UAE is particularly relevant given their cooperation within the OPEC Plus alliance of oil-exporting countries.
And Bloomberg Agency said that the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs did not respond to calls seeking comment on this news, and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment. Efforts to reach Sheikh Mansour through Manchester City and his offices were also unsuccessful. A US Treasury spokesman declined to comment.
Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the UAE’s Executive Office for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing told Bloomberg that the country will continue to seek deeper cooperation with foreign partners in monitoring international financial flows.
Who is Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed?
Encyclopedia Britannica says that Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was born on November 20, 1970 in Abu Dhabi, and he is a prominent member of the ruling family in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one of the most prominent businessmen in the country.
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Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed with Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola
He served as Head of the Office of the President of the UAE between 1997 and 2004, and was Minister of Presidential Affairs in 2004. He is known internationally for his investments in professional football, most notably his purchase of Manchester City FC.
Mansour bin Zayed is the son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi between 1966 and 2004 and the president of the United Arab Emirates between 1971 and 2004.
His brother Khalifa became the ruler of Abu Dhabi and the president of the United Arab Emirates in 2004, and his brother Muhammad became the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in 2004 and the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates in 2014.
Mansour was well known for his financial activities as he headed several financial entities in Abu Dhabi including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, First Gulf Bank (now part of First Abu Dhabi Bank), and the International Petroleum Investment Company (now part of Mubadala Investment Company).
In addition, he served on the boards of directors of several other entities including the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs.
He has numerous investments outside the UAE, and Mansour is probably best known for his professional football ventures abroad through his private investment company, Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, which purchased a controlling stake in Manchester City Football Club in 2008 and the club quickly became one of the most The teams are successful in the English Premier League.
In 2013, Mansour became the main investor in New York City FC, and later bought shares in several other clubs around the world including majority stakes in Melbourne City in 2014 and Mumbai City in 2019.
The Encyclopedia Britannica says that Mansour has a quiet but important role in Emirati public policy as well. Aside from his work as minister for presidential affairs, he headed the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, which began overseeing the emirate’s judicial system in 2006.
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Sheikh Mansour luxury yacht off the Turkish coast
Also, as a son-in-law to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Mansour could also extend his influence to the country’s second most powerful emirate. In 2009, he was appointed deputy to Mohammed bin Rashid in his capacity as prime minister.
However, apart from occasional public meetings with other officials and foreign dignitaries, Mansour’s activism in the country’s political affairs has largely remained out of sight.
Tensions with the United States
Although the UAE has not imposed any restrictions on Russia, some Emiratis, including Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive of the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company, and Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington, have tried to reassure the United States, Britain and European officials.
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At a financial conference in Dubai last month, Mubarak said Mubadala would avoid investing in Russia for the time being, becoming the first head of a wealth fund in the Middle East to provide public comment on the war.
Mubadala, of which Sheikh Mansour is vice chairman, said in an emailed statement that it had temporarily halted any additional investment in Russia “due to the situation”, but did not provide further details.
However, Western officials welcomed the comments from Mubadala, seeing them as evidence of the UAE’s concern about secondary penalties for anyone dealing with sanctioned Russian entities.
In fact, relations between the UAE and the US have soured recently as the UAE and Saudi Arabia want the US to do more to counter missile attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Meanwhile, the two Gulf countries have so far rejected Washington’s requests to increase oil production to bring down prices.
The differences extended to the Ukrainian war file.
Jodi Vittori, a professor at Georgetown University who studies the relationship between financial flows and US national security, said differences over sanctions policy will remain a thorny topic.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are still committed to not taking sides in the Russian military operation that began in Ukraine on February 24.
Most of Washington’s allies in the Middle East avoid taking positions that might negatively affect their economies, and countries in the region have also had strategic relations with China and Russia.
Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have faced American pressure to increase oil production and export to prevent new expected increases in oil prices, which have reached less than $140 per barrel.
The policy of mutual pressure between the United States and each of the UAE and Saudi Arabia is evident in their non-compliance with the sanctions imposed by the American administration on Russia and the continuation of financial transactions with Russian banks.
Energy analysts believe that Saudi Arabia and the UAE will not respond to the United States’ desires to export additional quantities of oil to the global market.
The UAE, which is the third largest oil producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is committed to Saudi oil policies, both within the organization and in the “OPEC Plus” alliance.
In a statement to the UAE WAM agency, Suhail bin Muhammad Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, confirmed his country’s commitment to the “OPEC Plus” agreement and its current mechanism for adjusting monthly production.
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, owner of Manchester City Football Club
Observers believe that this Emirati position must have been taken in coordination with Saudi Arabia, and that the two countries refuse to take decisions that would harm their ally, Russia, within the “OPEC Plus” alliance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Moscow at the end of last February.
On March 18, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Moscow, visited the UAE, where he met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who stressed that Syria is an essential pillar of Arab security, and that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with it in terms of providing Political and humanitarian support, as well as strengthening economic relations between the two countries.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed attended that meeting, which exposed it to criticism in Britain.
Analysts say that the visit came at a time when the Middle East is witnessing shifts in relations between countries and a number of Arab countries are seeking to revive their relations with Assad, and they see that there is a great link between the Syrian file and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Washington announced on March 19 that it was “deeply disappointed and concerned” over the visit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the UAE, at a time when Russia, Syria’s ally and a country that maintains strong relations with the UAE, continues its attack on Ukraine since February 24.
Thus, it appears that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seeking to move away from taking sides in the war in Ukraine.