Relations between the Russian Federation and the newly independent former Soviet Republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the monarchies of the Arabian Gulf are presently being consolidated. Although full political ties between the former Soviet Union and the Gulf states have been established since at least the late Soviet period, political, cultural and economic engagement between these regions has only become more assertive over the last few years. The strategic interests of the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, have converged more often. This has been a result of acts of terrorism, like the September 11 attacks in New York, ensuing international political crises like the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and new economic developments of global significance, such as the vastly increased levels of Russian oil production and exports from the late 1990s. Furthermore, the CIS is home to around 65 million Muslims and a revival of Islam has rapidly taken place in various Muslim regions there. The supportive role that the states of the Gulf have played in backing the Islamic revival in the CIS has led to further, careful engagement between the two blocs, with the governments of the CIS harboring suspicion that such support is aiding the spread of Islamic fundamentalism in their countries.
