ABSTRACT
Normalization and the relaxation of tension were the new Soviet leadership's slogans in foreign policy also. The Soviet Union made considerable efforts to demonstrate its desire for a speedy normalization of relations. The basic Soviet position continued to be negative, any change being one of emphasis and context. The marked progress of Soviet-Arab and particularly Soviet-Egyptian relations, with the creation of a close and intense relationship deriving from common strategic and international interests, had a direct bearing on Soviet-Israeli relations. In 1953-1954 contacts were established with the intention of extending bilateral ties in order to promote the Soviet penetration of the Arab world. The importance of Egypt as a focus, on the one hand, of Western attempts to establish a regional military command and, on the other, of the Arab-Western conflict was being stressed in the Soviet media as early as January 1953.
