... 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 war in Syria or at least in the North-West of the country.
Lebanon and Iraq would undergo a state of great internal turmoil ...
... 11
th
EU–Russia Expert Network on Foreign Policy (EUREN)
meeting
, Andrea Dessì,
Senior Fellow within IAI's Mediterranean and Middle East Program, who spoke at the event, discussed with the RIAC Editorial Team which outcomes he expects from the Syrian constitution talks, how the U.S. is exerting pressure on Iran via sanctions and what the EU and Russia have in common when it comes to the Middle East.
What key takeaways do you expect from the Syrian constitution talks in Geneva?
RIAC Report “Squaring the Circle: Russian and European Views on Syrian Reconstruction”
...
... better conditions for expanding economically there. So this is practically the reality of Russia’s Syria policy as of today.
Andrey Kortunov:
Russian Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Achievements and Limitations
How does Moscow view the Israeli-Iranian rivalry in Syria?
While talking about the Israeli-Iranian rivalry, Russia of course has managed to have working relations with both Israel and Iran. Russia recognizes the interests of both states in the region. But the main issue here is when the Israelis and Iranians ...
... blockades and by rivalry with America, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. So, in this context, Iran believes that it is looking after its own security interests. Those who want Iran to toe the line need to reassure it and engage it in a dialogue. Conversely, Iran has to appreciate that the way it is spreading its influence, the way it is actually engaging non-state actors, and allies in Syria and elsewhere in Yemen is not helping. So, basically, neither side is doing it right. That is why we are in a mess. We need a good constructive dialogue between the big parties, the global and regional powers.
In your opinion, what are the most ...
The trilateral meeting in Jerusalem showed significant differences in the approaches of Russia and the US-Israel tandem towards the tactics regarding the role of Iran in Syria.
On July 20, Jerusalem hosted a summit meeting for the national security advisers of Israel, the US, and Russia that was unusual both in terms of composition and thematic content. Intensive negotiations held in bilateral and trilateral formats,...
... Iran, and then cancelled the exceptions that previously existed for eight countries. In addition, on March 25, 2019, the US Treasury issued recommendations to the international community regarding
the sanctions risks of oil transportation involving Iran and Syria
. The Banias Refinery is mentioned in the document. In other words, the US sanctions could well have served as a guide for the arrest of the tanker. In this regard, the participation of the American authorities is becoming an important issue. If ...
... weeks before the Warsaw Conference on Security and Peace in the Middle East. They are wary of normalization between Arab states and Israel when it comes at the expense of Jordanian and Palestinian conflicts.
The changing shift of focus from Palestine to Iran burns Jordanian political cards. In the meantime, the King is trying to open channels with Arab countries, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, and Syria. He bids to strengthen Jordan’s relations with these four states, willing to build a regional bloc of four countries soon after political settlement in Syria. This could provide Jordanian diplomacy with other cards to play with. By diversifying ...
... blame the Europeans for not doing enough. Those are short-sighted views. In fact, Russia and China could also do more, for instance in implementing their part of the civilian nuclear cooperation covered by the nuclear agreement.
Yulia Sveshnikova:
Iran’s Presence in Syria: Is It There for the Long Haul?
More generally, time has come to establish a better coordination between Russia, China and the main European partners both to put in place practical measures related to trade with Iran and also to devise a political ...
... Israeli large-scale bombing of residential areas in Damascus will only increase great hostility against Israel, creating even more enemies fighting against them.
Thirdly, Israel could assist Sunni circles to recreate ISIS-like fighting groups inside Syria, to weaken the Shia Iranians inside their strategic hinterland inside Syria. However, facilitating a reemerging ISIS in Syria would create a terrorism problem in the EU, Turkey, Russia in other places—and if discovered, would severely degrade international diplomatic support ...
... objective reasons. To begin with, there are many players in the region that claim a leading role, primarily, Saudi Arabia and Iran, cooperation between which is seriously complicated by religious divergence. The same applies to Egypt that was historically ... ... I don’t see any streamlined collective security system in the Middle East.
The main goal today is to end the conflict in Syria and embark on economic recovery there. Russia will not be able to do this single-handedly but from the viewpoint of the ...
