Roundtable discussion between the Council and the Center for Scientific and Analytical Information of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

On May 14, 2024, the Council hosted a delegation from the Scientific and Analytical Information Center of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where it held a joint round table that discussed the developments in relations between Egypt and Russia, in various political, economic, commercial and cultural fields, and ways to enhance them, in addition to regional and international issues of common interest, such as the crises in the Middle East, such as the war in Gaza that has been ongoing since the seventh of October, the crises in Libya, Yemen, Sudan and Syria, the Ukrainian crisis, and the extent of The involvement and strategies of the major international powers in the region. On the part of the Council, Ambassadors Mohammad Al-Nuqali and Yousef zadeh participated in the meeting, while the Russian delegation included Dr. Nikolay Plotnikov, Director of the Russian Institute, and researchers Aleksei Romanov and Maksim Ushanov.

The participants praised the many developments in the areas of discussion between Egypt and Russia, while stressing the importance of moving forward in strengthening them, especially in the economic and trade aspect, especially in light of the modest volume of trade between the two sides. With regard to regional issues, the two sides praised the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the return of Syria to the Arab House, expressing their hope to find a lasting and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue, which has been going on for many decades, and is witnessing its tragic developments in the occupied territories, especially in the Gaza Strip. In this context, the two sides stressed the importance of ending the conflict by peaceful means, implementing the two-state solution, respecting the rights of both parties and peaceful coexistence between them and with neighboring countries, while praising the Egyptian role in this regard, stressing that the fate of any occupation is to disappear.

On the other hand, the Russian side stressed that Russian-African relations are high on the list of priorities of Russian foreign policy, as they serve as an important entity and actor within the multipolar world system. In this context, he praised the development efforts initiated by many African countries, as they can be attractive to future generations in many fields, and Russia affirms its support for the independence and sovereignty of these peoples. He added that Russia will invest in the preparation of cadres – as it did with the Soviets in the past – and the establishment of Russian universities and institutes and the provision of Russian scholarships in African countries are being studied. For his part, Ambassador Al-Nuqali expressed his thanks for these Russian endeavors in the region and the entire continent, pointing to many characteristics of African countries that need deep study to deal with them. In this context, he explained that 60% of the continent’s population is young. The ambassador also touched on the issue of combating terrorism in Africa, where this is used as a pretext to intervene in the countries of the region without a radical solution to terrorism already, which has emerged in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the United States has left many destruction under this slogan.

On the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation, he explained that it is an example that can be followed, as they are two Islamic countries mediated by Communist China, due to the existence of relations between both sides, as well as their focus on economic goals without paying attention to other differences. The conversation also dealt with the ongoing war in Yemen, which is approaching its tenth year, and the division between the allied countries – Saudi Arabia and the UAE – prevented the end of the conflict, due to the difference in their interests without considering the consequences, and thus the situation becomes complicated and the solution becomes not easy over time. The Egyptian ambassador pointed out that the international community has not succeeded in settling its conflict, despite many initiatives in this regard, due to its division, as well as the internal Libyan division. The same is true for Sudan. In light of these developments, the Russian side expressed the intention to organize a conference on the situation in the region, and the possibility of inviting the Saharan countries, as this could be organized in cooperation between Russia and Egypt, and in turn Ambassador Al-Nuqli welcomed this proposal.