... support its operational work.
The delegation was headed by Romain Grandjean, Middle East and North Africa Regional Director. In the course of discussion, representatives of the Swiss Centre touched upon the issues of armed conflicts in Libya and Syria, Russia's role in resolving crisis situations in these countries, as well as possible models of multilateral cooperation in ensuring the security of the Middle East and North Africa regions. The visitors from Switzerland were informed about RIAC’s most recent projects related to the settlement of regional crises and discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the Centre and the Council in this ...
... with Oman and at a later stage with Iraq due to the strong connections between Iraqi military groups with those in Bahrain whom Bahrain would accuse of tampering with its security and stability.
Other Key Players
Irina Zviagelskaya, Nikolay Surkov:
Russian Policy in the Middle East: Dividends and Costs of the Big Game
Israel
Some important geopolitical trends in the region will be marked by March 2, 2020, with a new round of Israeli elections which would decide the future government of Israel. Indicators from Israel ...
... from the real problems and lack of agreement between the main players fighting for leadership in the Libyan issue. At the same time, the Russian approach assumes rather a tactical nature of interaction with various players on the Libyan settlement.
Russia's cautious engagement and maintained contacts
Andrey Kortunov:
The Future of the Middle East: Horizons of Challenges and Opportunities
Today, the situation in Libya is at an impasse. The Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Fayez al-Sarraj is recognized by the international community in accordance with the UN-brokered ...
... maintaining the JCPOA, agreements on Iran’s nuclear program.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British Embassy in Moscow. During the meeting the parties discussed the following issues: Russian and British positions in conflict situations in the Middle East and North Africa and the possibilities of constructive interaction between Russia and the West in Syria, Libya, and the Persian Gulf. The meeting was moderated by Laurie Bristow, British Ambassador to Russia.
... former statesmen, diplomats and businessmen, international experts and civil society leaders.
On December 14–15, 2019, Doha (Qatar) hosted Doha Forum 2019, one of the most ambitious and representative international conferences regularly held in the Middle East region. As usual, the Forum was attended by current and former statesmen, diplomats and businessmen, international experts and civil society leaders.
Russian International Affairs Council has been participating in the Forum since 2015. In 2019, the general theme of the Forum is defined as “Reimagining Governance in a MultiPolar World”. The participants discussed leading trends in the development ...
... Turkish experts in the field of International Relations on the relationship between the two sides with a focus on key areas for cooperation. The report provides an analysis of bilateral economic ties between the two countries, strategic challenges in the Middle East, regional issues related to the Black Sea and the Caucasus and the development of a Eurasian transport corridor.
Deepening Russia-Turkey Relations
, 1.7 Mb
... on foreign affairs.
This year the main topics for discussion included the development of the system of international relations after the end of “unipolar world”, security and development issues in North Africa, interaction between Europe and the Middle East, mechanisms of influence of independent think tanks on the political decision-making process. Russian think tanks were traditionally represented by Alexander Dynkin, RIAC Member, President of the IMEMO RAS, and Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General.
On November 26, 2019, French Embassy in Moscow, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), together with Institut Montaigne (France), held a seminar on the potential of Russia-France cooperation in the Middle East conflict areas
On November 26, 2019, French Embassy in Moscow, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), together with Institut Montaigne (France), held a seminar on the potential of Russia-France cooperation in the Middle East conflict ...
... by the Soviet Union at the time of the Persian Gulf war of 1991. Since then, the results of the military operation and diplomatic maneuvering have not only confounded early critics but also outdone even President Vladimir Putin’s own expectations.
Russia’s achievements in the Middle East go way beyond the success in Syria proper. Moscow benefits from flexible semi-alliances with Turkey and Iran, oil price arrangements with Saudi Arabia and newly revived military ties with Egypt. It is again a player of some consequence in ...
... Russian International Affairs Council.
On November 15, Paolo Dionisi, Italian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Syria, visited Russian International Affairs Council.
The Italian diplomat was informed about RIAC project work on the Syrian and wider Middle East vectors, discussed the potential of Russia-Italy cooperation in resolving the Syrian crisis, including possible priorities for interaction between independent think tanks of the two countries.
