ABU DHABI -- Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin arrived Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates seeking trade, investment and possible arms deals and to present Russia as a power in the Gulf, diplomats said.
Chernomyrdin flew to the United Arab Emirates from Kuwait on a Gulf tour with commercial and political aims which has already taken him to Saudi Arabia and will take him on to Oman.
Official talks between Chernomyrdin and U.A.E. Deputy Prime Minister Sheik Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan started shortly after he reached Abu Dhabi. The official news agency WAM said the talks included developments in the Gulf and the Middle East peace process.
Trade and economic relations between the U.A.E. and Russia have improved significantly since the emirates signed an accord with Moscow in 1990.
Western diplomats say Chernomyrdin is likely to discuss the possibility of selling Russian arms.
The other aim of Chernomyrdin's visit is to boost post-Soviet Russia's image as a regional power and reassure the U.A.E. that Moscow is not too close to Saddam Hussein.
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