"The region is going through difficult times. There are, I would say, certain divisions within the region's countries, including Saudi Arabia, with its rather active Shiite minority. Another such country is Yemen, or even Bahrain, a geographically small country, but a very important one, where three quarters of the population is Shiite, while the country is ruled by Sunnis. If anyone is interested in mediation efforts, Russia is always prepared to help," Chizhov said during an event on Russia's role in the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen have seen escalated tensions between their Shia and Sunni populations since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011. Shiite protests broke out in Bahrain between 2011 and 2014, prompting interventions by Saudi troops and United Arab Emirates police to quell the unrest.
Russia has been active in mediating peace efforts to end the war in Syria, where a Sunni-led rebellion broke out in 2011, aiming to overthrow the Alawite-dominated government of President Bashar Assad.
