Prospects for Russia–China Cooperation in the Middle East

... of Iran and Iraq in order to strengthen their influence in the Arab Mashreq sub-region, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. The countries in the region may also be interested in this, as diversifying international relations will allow them to stabilise political and socio-economic life. Russia has a wealth of experience in the region and directs considerable resources towards the development of diplomatic contacts ... ... with regional countries, becoming a key trading partner for them. What is more, the massive and strategically important China–Pakistan Economic Corridor leads right into the Middle East. All this notwithstanding, the United States remains the major external ...