🗣 TOMORROW, February 4, the opening of the fourteenth Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, will take place, titled “The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future.”

🌍 The conference will bring together over 50 experts, active political figures, and intellectuals from 15 countries, including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey.

During the sessions, experts will discuss the following topics: 

• The Middle East: Back to the Unity That Never Existed? 
• Russia in the Middle East: New Challenges; 
• Syria: What’s Next?
• The New Role of Mediators in Conflict Resolution: The Case of Palestine; 
• Transport Corridors and the Future of Security on Land and Sea; 
• The Middle East in the Context of Modern Development: Sources of the Scientific and Technological Revolution.

📑 In preparation for the Middle East Conference, the Valdai Club, in collaboration with the IOS RAS, has produced a new report titled “Syria: The Crossroad of Middle Eastern Uncertainty” examining the paths of Syria’s development following the regime change.

🗣 Programme of the 14th Middle East Conference
 
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VK, Telegram and Dzen.

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

📘 Reading books like “Middle East: Evolution. 2010-2025” can be a truly delightful experience. It’s akin to the pleasure of discovering a stack of yellowed, 30-year-old newspapers in the attic of a summer house on a quiet evening. As you leaf through them, you find yourself captivated by stories about the future and about something that happened long ago and is almost forgotten.

The Valdai Club Middle East Conference has convened for the fourteenth time, and with each gathering, a report has been prepared by the Club’s experts. These reports, now compiled into a single volume, offer a remarkable chronicle of the Middle East’s evolution over the years.

What stands out is the exceptional quality of these analyses. The insights presented have proven remarkably accurate, both in hindsight and in their relevance to the present day. The depth of expertise displayed in these reports is truly commendable.

But the most fascinating thing about reading the reports is not the incredible ferocity of the conflict that has been revealed, but the striking ability of evil to find new loopholes so that the flames of war and hatred never subside, but flare up in new places and with new force. The ingenuity of this evil is simply astounding, and reading the reports is instructive for anyone interested in the twists and turns of history in the Middle East, a region that is known to be incredibly beautiful and at the same time frighteningly dangerous.

— Andrey Bystritskiy,
Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club

📘 Middle East: Evolution. 2010–2025. Valdai Discussion Club’s Collection of Reports

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast #ValdaiReport

🗣🗣🗣

🗣 Good morning! Today, February 4, the opening of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future” will take place in Moscow.

📆 Programme for February 4, Tuesday

09:55 – 10:00 — Opening of the conference (live: Russian, Arabic, English)

10:00 – 11:30 — Session 1. Middle East: Back to the Unity That Never Existed? (live: Russian, Arabic, English)

The Middle East represents a functioning model of the modern world. The main feature of the region in particular and the world as a whole is a dialectical confluence of high potential for conflict and inextricable interconnectedness. Problems cannot be solved individually, but neither do they have a general solution. How can stability be preserved and development prospects consolidated? What role can BRICS take in this regard?

12:00 – 13:30 — Meeting with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (live: Russian, Arabic, English)

14:30 – 16:00 — Session 2. Russia in the Middle East: New Challenges

Since the early 21st century, Russia has been steadily expanding its reach in the Middle East region, restoring its traditional position. The situation in this part of the world is changing rapidly, sometimes dramatically, which constantly poses new challenges for Russia. What are these challenges today?

16:30 – 18:30 — Session 3. Syria: What's Next?

Although the Baath Party's rule had faced critical challenges for a long time, the swiftness of the regime's fall and the absence of any resistance surprised almost everyone. The rise of new political forces in Damascus has brought about a qualitatively different situation not only for Syria, but also for the entire region. However, the Syrian crisis is not over, and the country's future is not yet certain. The internal political system and foreign policy priorities have yet to be determined.

🗣 Programme of the 14th Middle East Conference

#MiddleEastValdai #valdai_programme #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

🎥 LIVE: 09:55 the opening of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Session 1 “Middle East: Back to the Unity That Never Existed?” will take place. Watch the live broadcast:

In English

In Arabic

In Russian

#MiddleEastValdai

🗣🗣🗣

🎥 LIVE: at 12:00 Moscow time a meeting with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation @MFARussia, will take place within the framework of of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Watch the live broadcast:

In English

In Arabic

In Russian

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

🗣 On February 4, 2025, a meeting with Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation @MFARussia, took place within the framework of of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

📷 Photo gallery

🎥 Video

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

2️⃣ Session 2 of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Russia in the Middle East: New Challenges.”

📷 Photo gallery

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

3️⃣ Session 3 of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Syria: What's Next?”

📷 Photo gallery

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

🗣 Good morning! Today is the second day of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future.”

📆 Programme for February 5, Wednesday

10:30 – 12:00 — Session 4. The New Role of Mediators in Conflict Resolution: the Case of Palestine

The Palestinian issue remains the cornerstone of all conflicts in the Middle East. After almost a year and a half of Israel's ruthless operation in Gaza and its outskirts, the prospects for a settlement hardly exist. Previous solutions are unrealistic, and no new proposals have been put forward. Is the problem solvable in principle?

12:30 – 14:00 — Session 5. Transport Corridors and the Future of Security on Land and Sea (live: Russian, Arabic, English)

The series of crises in the Middle East has transcended the region, affecting transit corridors of global importance. Who is responsible for security: regional players, external powers or international institutions? How do crises affect the search for alternatives?

15:00 – 16:30 — Session 6. The Future of the Middle East Politically and in the Context of Modern Scientific and Technological Development (live: Russian, Arabic, English)

Amid the turbulence in the region, formulating long-term development strategies seems almost impossible. The Gulf Cooperation Council  countries are showing intellectual courage by formulating long-range development plans, including those of scientific, technological and social nature. Are these plans feasible in the context of general uncertainty? Can they become a driving force for the entire region?

🗣 Programme of the 14th Middle East Conference

#valdai_programme #MiddleEastValdai

🗣🗣🗣

🎥 LIVE: at 12:30 Moscow time (GMT+3), Session 5 of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Transport Corridors and the Future of Security on Land and Sea” starts. Watch the live broadcast:

In English

In Arabic

In Russian

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

📷 The second day of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences started with Session 4 “The New Role of Mediators in Conflict Resolution: the Case of Palestine.”

📷 Photo gallery

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast #Palestine

🗣🗣🗣

🎥 LIVE: at 15:00 Moscow time (GMT+3), Session 6 of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “The Future of the Middle East Politically and in the Context of Modern Scientific and Technological Development” starts. Watch the live broadcast:

In English

In Arabic

In Russian

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

5️⃣ Session 5 of the XIV Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences “Transport Corridors and the Future of Security on Land and Sea.”

📷 Photo gallery

🎥 Video

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣

6️⃣ Session 6 “The Future of the Middle East Politically and in the Context of Modern Scientific and Technological Development” completed the second day of the XIV Middle East Conference.

📷 Photo gallery

🎥 Video

#MiddleEastValdai #MiddleEast

🗣🗣🗣