📌 Good morning! Today, the Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club continues.

📆 Programme for February 14, Wednesday

10:30 – 12:00 — Session 4. Diversity of Actors in the Middle East: Is Balance Achievable?

The emergence of influential and proactive actors aspiring to become autonomous centres of power in the Middle East suggests the formation of multipolarity in the region. Will the new system help contain conflicts, establish and strengthen new formats of interaction between regional powers without the involvement of external forces, and exercise a more tangible national sovereignty?

12:30 – 14:00 — Session 5. Is a Nuclear-free Middle East Possible?

The issue of nuclear weapons has returned to the agenda due to the general escalation of international tensions. It is highly relevant in West Asia, which is believed to have de facto nuclear and threshold powers. Under certain circumstances, a number of states may pursue nuclear weapons programmes. How does this factor affect the regional atmosphere and what should be the international strategy in light of this?

15:00 – 16:30 — Session 6. Economic Cooperation in the Region: Opportunities and Challenges

Trade and economic cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa is one of the pillars of Moscow's regional strategy. The session will address the potential for the implementation of joint energy and logistics projects, the opportunities offered by cooperation in finance, technology and investment, as well as possible solutions to food security challenges.

Programme of the 13th Middle East Conference

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🗣 The second day of the 13th Middle East Conference started with Session 4, titled “Diversity of Actors in the Middle East: Is Balance Achievable?”

📷 Photo gallery

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🗣 The Palestinian Issue in the Spotlight: Day 1 of the Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club

On Tuesday, February 13, the 13th Middle East Conference of the Valdai Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences began in Moscow. This year, about 50 foreign and Russian experts and active political figures from 16 countries are taking part.

Opening the conference, Vitaly Naumkin, Academic Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, noted that today the thesis about the centrality of the Palestinian problem in establishing peace in the Middle East, which Russia has been promoting for years, is not in doubt by anyone. In turn, Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, emphasised that the problems of the region are so multidimensional and diverse that it provides the best testing ground for working out settlement mechanisms, which will allow analysts to develop a theory of how relations between countries must be built in the future.

Read an article about the first day of the Middle East Valdai


1️⃣ Session 1 “Towards a Comprehensive Settlement in the Middle East”

🗣 The meeting with Sergey Lavrov

2️⃣ Session 2 “Heritage of Colonial Policy and Its Echoes in the Middle East”

3️⃣ Session 3 “Question of Palestine – What Is Next?”

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🌍 Military Threats and Economic Opportunities: The Final Day of the Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club

On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the 13th Middle East conference of the Valdai Discussion Club ended. Three sessions that day were held in a closed-door format.

4️⃣ During the fourth session of the conference, the experts discussed how state and non-state actors are changing the balance of power in the region. In recent years, more and more states in the Middle East have sought to gain strategic autonomy. Of course, Iran has been the most successful, having embraced an independent foreign policy more than four decades ago. A distinctive feature of the present time is the growing independence of countries that traditionally maintain close relations with the West.

5️⃣ During the fifth session, the participants tried to answer the question “is it possible for the Middle East to forsake nuclear weapons?” All discussions on this topic were based on the fact that there are nuclear weapons in the Middle East - and are at the disposal of Israel. According to most experts, the presence of a state with absolute military superiority is unacceptable and presents a key threat to the entire region.

6️⃣ The final session of the conference was devoted to the opportunities and obstacles which influence economic cooperation in the region. New opportunities for the development of trade and economic ties arose as a result of Russia’s “disconnection” from Western markets. Despite the difficulties created by the unilateral restrictive measures of Western countries, the states of the region remain Russia's key partners. A special role here is played by the United Arab Emirates, which is actively taking advantage of the opportunities that have opened up.

Read a summery of the second day of the Middle East Valdai

Read an article about the first day of the Middle East Valdai

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⚔️ This infographic demonstrates the number of military personnel, military budgets and the number of units of various types of military equipment in 2023. The infographic on military capabilities of the Middle East countries was prepared especially for the 13th Middle East conference of the Valdai Discussion Club.

The high-res infographic is available on the website.

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