In the middle of June 2023, an extensively advertised public figure disappeared from social media for a few days. The public figure is Sultan Al Jaber, the president of COP28, and the reason for his pause in social media activities was that he was in Russia doing something he was not particularly proud of - meeting President Vladimir Putin.
Cat among the pigeons
On January 12, 2023, the UAE Government appointed Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to head COP28. COP is the Conference of the Parties, the yearly meeting of the United Nations to assess progress in dealing with climate change. This year's conference will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Sultan Al Jaber's designation has drawn heavy criticism. Al Jaber is not only UAE's Climate Change Envoy and Chairman of the renewable energy company Masdar but also the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the oil state and, more controversially, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world's largest oil and gas producers. "A blatant conflict of interests," according to climate activists and civil society organizations. (https://www.globalwitness.org/) "A risk undermining the negotiation," according to a group of 128 members of US Congress and the European Parliament, who, in an unprecedented move, signed a letter calling for the removal of Sultan Al Jaber as president of COP28. (https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/)
Some of the biggest Public Relations firms were hired to mount a massive campaign to support Al Jaber and the UAE's presidency of COP28. Since his appointment in January, the COP28 President has maintained an everyday presence on social media.
Except for a few days in June.
Where did COP28 President disappear to
Sultan Al Jaber attended the Bonn Climate Change Conference between June 10 and 13, met a Kenyan delegation on June 14 (https://twitter.com/COP28_UAE/), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with his fellow Cabinet member, the minister of Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure on June 15, and then suddenly vanished from social media. He resurfaced on June 19, when he received China's Ambassador to the UAE. (https://twitter.com/COP28_UAE/)
Sultan Al Jaber was on a very important visit, but none of the various social media pages promoting the COP28 President appears to have covered it.
From June 14 to 17, Russia hosted its annual economic summit, the Sankt Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). With policymakers and companies from countries aligned with economic sanctions against Russia boycotting the event, the Kremlin focused on the Middle East and Asia. United Arab Emirates was the main guest of SPIEF 2023, having the largest pavilion and the largest delegation. (https://www.opensourceinvestigations.com/)
A delegation of high Emirati officials, headed by President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met President Vladimir Putin in Sankt Petersburg on June 16, 2023, and toured the UAE pavilion. Sultan al Jaber was a key member of the delegation.
COP28's confidential presence at SPIEF 2023
Al Jaber's participation in the official delegation meeting with Vladimir Putin in Sankt Petersburg was only briefly mentioned by the Emirates News Agency, the official news agency of the UAE. (https://wam.ae/) However, photos taken at the event show Sultan Al Jaber right behind Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan when Vladimir Putin greeted the UAE President, and accompanying the two presidents when they visited the UAE stands.
Vladimir Putin greeted Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Sankt Petersburg, on June 16, 2023. Sultan Al Jaber is right behind the UAE President. (Credit: Vyacheslav Prokofyev / EPA Images)
Vladimir Putin and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toured the stands of the UAE at SPIEF 2023, on June 16, 2023. Sultan al Jaber is the first on the left. (Credit: Gavriil Grigorov / agefotostock)
Sultna Al Jaber (first on the right) accompanied Vladimir Putin during his visit to the UAE pavilion at SPIEF 2023 on June 16, 2023. (Credit: Ramil Sitdikov / EPA Images)
Moreover, none of COP28's media platforms appear to have mentioned that the Dubai Climate Change Conference had a stand at SPIEF 2023. We only know that because Russian state-owned news agency TASS quoted what Putin said "at a stand devoted to the climate summit in the UAE" on June 16: "You are involved in a noble endeavor and I hope that Russia will be represented at your event at a decent level" (https://tass.com/)
Secretly meeting Putin and publicly promoting peace – at the same time
COP28's PR teams have advertised each of Sultan Al Jaber's meetings and interactions with kings, politicians, diplomats, indigenous communities, teenagers, and children, but decided to keep COP28's presence at Russia's economic forum and COP28 President's official visit to Russia secret.
Instead, while hiding Sultan Al Jaber's meeting with Putin, COP28 Dubai was promoted as a way to advance peace.
On June 14, 2023, the UAE announced the COP28 Presidency's plan to introduce a "Relief, Recovery, and Peace" Day during the COP28 "to highlight the intersection of climate change, peace, and security" (https://www.zawya.com/).
Two days later, on June 16, while UAE President and COP28 president were meeting Vladimir Putin, Russia was launching massive air attacks on Ukrainian cities, injuring at least 29, including children. On the same day, while speaking at SPIEF in Sankt Petersburg, President Putin announced the arrival of the first Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, repeating his nuclear threats (https://edition.cnn.com/).
