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4 – 5 февраля 2025 года

14th Middle East Conference “The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future”

 
On February 4-5, 2025, the Valdai Discussion Club, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held its 14th Middle East Conference “The Middle East – 2025: Learning Lessons from the Past, Surviving the Present, and Designing the Future”.

The 14th Middle East Conference took place against the backdrop of the regime change in Syria, escalating Iranian-Israeli tensions, the conflict in the Gaza Strip, and the crisis in the Red Sea. The situation in the Middle East is not only marked by turbulence, but is also characterized by the transformation and reshaping of the entire regional relations system. 

The goal of the conference is to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East with representatives from as many involved parties as possible, explore ways to reduce tensions in the region, and consider Russia’s approaches to resolving existing issues.   

The Conference brought together more than 50 experts, politicians and intellectuals from 15 countries, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Egypt, Great Britain, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, Syria, Turkey, UAE and USA.

On the Russian side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, attended as an honorary guest. The high-ranking international guests include: Ambassador, Former Senior Undersecretary at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, UN Assistant Secretary General Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy; Palestinian Minister of Social Development and member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Ahmed Majdalani; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Syria to the Russian Federation Bashar Jaafari; Honorary Dean of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo Nabil Fahmi.

The program of the Conference consisted of an opening ceremony, six thematic sessions and a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov. President of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, Full Member of RAS Prof. Vitaly Naumkin took part in the Session 1 “Middle East: Back to the Unity That Never Existed?” as one of the key speakers. Sessions 3 and 5, “Syria: What's Next?” and “Transport Corridors and the Future of Security on Land and Sea” were moderated by Deputy Director of IOS RAS, Head of CAIS Prof. Vasily Kuznetsov and Scientific Advisor of The Evgeny Primakov Center for International Cooperation, CAIS Senior Research Fellow Dr. Ruslan Mamedov, respectively.

Watch the videos from the Conference’s opening and sessions here: https://valdaiclub.com/multimedia/video/opening-and-first-session-of-the-14th-middle-east-conferencev/ 

In preparation for the Middle East Conference, the Valdai Club and the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, has produced a new report titled “Syria: The Crossroad of Middle Eastern Uncertainty” (authors - President of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, Full Member of RAS Prof. Vitaly Naumkin and Deputy Director of IOS RAS, Head of CAIS Prof. Vasily Kuznetsov) examining the paths of Syria’s development following the regime change. The fall of Bashar al-Assad and the rise of new forces raise serious questions about the future of the state, which can only be secured through a series of comprehensive reforms. The authors of the report propose five such reforms. 

More on the Valdai Club site: https://valdaiclub.com/events/announcements/the-14th-middle-east-conference-of-the-valdai-discussion-club-and-the-institute-of-oriental-studies/