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On July 28, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) together with the Center for Political Research, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, with the support of the Embassy of Israel in Russia held a closed online seminar “Assessing the Middle East conflicts (Lebanon, Iraq and Libya). View from Russia and Israel”. The event was attended by leading experts and diplomats from Russia and Israel.
The seminar was divided into two sessions: "Political instability in Lebanon and Iraq: ...
... assistance of The Shaikh Group political consultancy, the ordinary virtual expert meeting on security issues in Mashreq region took place.
The following issues were discussed during the meeting: the role of external players in conflict situations in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Russia was represented at the meeting by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, and Irina Zvyagelskaya, RIAC Expert, Head of the Center for the Middle East Studies at RAS IMEMO.
... about Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the number of COVID-19 cases. Overcrowded city centres, prisons and camps for refugees and displaced persons are seen as the source of the infection.
Ivan Timofeev:
The Price of Sanctions is Human Lives
Syria is a special case in the general picture of Middle Eastern conflicts amid the coronavirus pandemic. The outcome of the internal confrontation will have far-reaching consequences. If compromise solutions are found, a settled Syrian conflict might serve as a precedent for the global community and ...
... areas, which are fraught with the risk of a direct clash with Turkey or the US, or is it better to temporarily keep the status quo with a view to resolving the urgent objectives of postwar development, which are vital for the majority of the people.
Syria has sustained the biggest losses of all the conflicts in the Middle East. From 2011 through 2018, GDP fell by almost two thirds from $55 billion to $22 billion a year. This means that recovery costs (that amount to at least $250 billion) are equal to 12 times the current GDP. According to the World Bank, about ...
Syrian troops have launched major attacks to clear Idlib province. The attacks targeted more than 30 Turkish troops, two Syrian military aircraft. About 19 Syrian soldiers, some Liwa Zainebiyoun, Fatemiyoun and Hezbollah forces were also killed In the ...
... regime change. Besides, economic conditions will aggravate, leading to more tensions.
The Three Core Sub-Regions of the Middle East
The Fertile Crescent (The Levant and Iraq)
Some experts believe that different paths will prevail in the sub-region of the Middle East: North Africa, the Gulf and the Fertile Crescent (the Levant and Iraq). The focus will be on resolving the Syrian crisis with the victory of the Assad regime and allies. Yet, Russian-Turkish ties will be affected by Russian-Syrian-Iranian intervention near the Turkish border. The threat that this would impose on the Turkish armed forces could spark a proxy ...
... credibility to Lavrov’s goal of highlighting Moscow’s contributions to stability in the Mediterranean, which has been central to his outreach efforts to Italy and the Maghreb, and further bolster Moscow’s emerging status as a great power in the Middle East.
Syria experience for Libya
Since 2011, Libya and Syria have faced an internal crisis in the Middle East. In Syria, this same vacuum allowed Russia to gain military influence and involvement in the conflict. Russia is likely to use current unstable conditions ...
... 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.
... 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
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... 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 Libya, a power to which many Lebanese look ...
