... states of North Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the EU countries.
The meeting was opened by Ivan Molotkov, Chief Adviser to the Department of the Middle East and North Africa Department of MFA of Russia, former Russian Ambassador to Libya, who presented Russia's position on the situation in Libya.
The expert meeting was attended by representatives of academic institutions, research centers, consulting agencies, the media, and business: Konstantin Truevtsev, Alexander Shumilin, Vladimir Bartenev, Ekaterina ...
... Guard Corps to intervene when ordered.
Thus, three main focal points will prevail in 2020:
First: the impact of global economic trends on domestic politics; the influence of regional power struggles on unresolved conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Libya. In many ways, these dynamics are interconnected and feed into one another. However, evidence of increased contact with Russia by countries like Egypt and Jordan should be taken in the context of the US disengagement from the region, which began during the Obama administration, and concern about the Trump administration's disorganised, chaotic foreign policy. Furthermore,...
... Moscow as fabrications. The head of the Libya contact group, Lev Dengov, said that Russia's official position is immutable: "We've talked about it hundreds of times. If someone is present in Libya, it has nothing to do with the Russian position on Libya and Russia as a state."
According to him
, Moscow "maintains regular contacts with Sarraj, Haftar and other forces to promote a settlement in Libya through political dialogue." He also said such provocations are formed by those who do not ...
... relatively successful Libya endeavour to accrue status benefits in its negotiations with Western nations, trading certain aspects of its Libya presence off for other unrelated assets, as it has possibly done in the case of Syria. An important player in Libya, Russia is to be reckoned with by Western powers, in the North Africa region and globally
[1]
. Following Russia's isolation from the international community after its annexation of Crimea and its “hybrid war” in eastern Ukraine, this has been a salient ...
... matters is barely audible.
As far as we can tell, the tentative steps taken by Paris and Berlin to open a dialogue with Moscow on Syria have not led to any practical actions. Also, it would seem that the “selective engagement” between Europe and Russia on Libya is equally doomed.
The European Union and Russia have still not got around to coordinating their positions with regard to the Iranian nuclear issue and to relations with Iran as a whole. And while the stances of the two sides on the settlement ...
... Lecturer at the Higher School of Economics, moderated the discussion.
In the course of the event, RIAC and STACO experts discussed the role of non-governmental organizations in finding ways to stabilize conflict regions, assessed the current state of Russian-Libyan relations and the images of Russia in Libya and Libya in Russia, noted the need to develop contacts between civil society of the two countries. The meeting participants assessed the possibilities of restoring and developing the existing economic ...
... to be done about Libya. Developments in Libya are a long way from promoting stabilization in North Africa. Whether siding with Khalifa Haftar or the Tripoli leaders, it is necessary to come to terms either way – I’m hoping this can be done with Russia’s mediation. I don’t believe in US mediation because the memories are too fresh. Even those who hated Muammar Gaddafi have to admit that under his rule Libya was the most prosperous country in the Middle East and North Africa. Given what was done to the Libyan leader, they are not ready to rush into the arms of the US regardless of their attitude to the former Libyan regime.
Third, it is necessary to ...
... come to a political compromise. In situations where conflicting sides are not yet ready for a political compromise (such as Libya, possibly), the priority for external players might be to work together to contain the conflict, preventing its spillover ... ... institutions, agencies and individuals dealing with both the security and development sides of the regional crisis.
Europe and Russia have more stakes in the Middle East than other global players, like the United States and China. They are much closer to ...
On February 12, 2018, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Libyan Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS) conducted a video seminar on the political and economic situation in Libya.
On February 12, 2018, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and the Libyan Institute for Advanced Studies (LIAS) conducted a video seminar on the political and economic situation in Libya.
Timur Makhmutov, RIAC Deputy Director of Programs, opened the meeting, noting ...
... general dynamics of development in the Middle East, most significant challenges and threats emanating from the region, possible mechanisms and sequencing of solutions to Middle East issues.
The discussion focuses on acute crises in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and potential instability in other countries of the region. Aleksandr Aksenyonok, RIAC Vice-President, and Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, represent Russian side at the meeting.
