RIAC and Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies (IRAS) Workshop on Forthcoming Challenges in the Middle East

February 17, 2021

Topic: International security, Society and culture

Short version

On February 16, 2021, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Institute for Iran-Eurasia Studies (IRAS) held an online workshop on the forthcoming challenges for Russia and Iran in the Middle East.

The event was opened by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, and Mehdi Sanai, IRAS President, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia (2013–2019).

Full version

Speakers:

Alexey Khlebnikov, RIAC Expert
Mahmood Shoori, Deputy Director of IRAS
Vladimir Sazhin, Senior Researcher, Center for Middle East Studies, RAS Institute of Oriental Studies, RIAC Expert
Hassan Ahmadian, Assistant Professor of Middle East and North Africa Studies at the University of Tehran
Pyotr Kortunov, RIAC Program Coordinator
Hamidreza Azizi, IRAS Member of the Scientific Board, Visiting Fellow at German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

The participants assessed the state of Russia-Iran relations and the emerging regional dynamics in the Middle East. Russian and Iranian experts also presented a joint RIAC and IRAS working paper “Russia and Iran in Syria and Beyond: Challenges Ahead” (authors: Andrey Kortunov, Alexey Khlebnikov, Mehdi Sanaei, Mahmood Shoori).

Presentations and discussions focused on the prospects for the Biden administration in the Middle East and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the issues of normalization between Israel and the Arab states, and the impact of this process on the future of the region. Special attention was paid to the issues of trilateral cooperation between Russia, Iran, and Turkey on the Syrian settlement.

Ruslan Mamedov, RIAC Program Manager, moderated the discussion.