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Ninth Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club. Opening and Session 1 (in English)

On February 17, the Valdai Discussion Club in partnership with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences held an opening and Session 1 of the ninth Middle East conference dedicated to the theme “Middle East in a Time of Change: Towards New Stability Architecture”.


Working languages: Russian, English, Arabic

09:45 – 10:00 Opening of the Conference

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

Vitaly NAUMKIN, President, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Science; Full Member, Russian Academy of Sciences

Igor MORGULOV, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation


10:00 - 11:30 Session 1. Middle East – Future Oriented. Two Perspectives

As political transformation, which has changed the face of the Middle East, continues to gain pace, the world is anxiously anticipating new cataclysms. According to many politicians, a new series of perturbations brewing up in the region can affect the very foundations of the established order. Disunity, which has become a common disease in Middle Eastern societies, hinders their consolidation even on the most vital issues. At the same time, one cannot help but see the global context behind these developments, which allows us to draw parallels between changes in the region and beyond.

Is it possible to talk about uniqueness and singularity of the turbulent Middle Eastern processes? Will they affect all countries or will some of them be able to preserve their fundamentals? How can the main trends in regional development be identified?

Speakers:

Ali ALAHMAD, Political and public figure, Syria

Vitaly NAUMKIN, President, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Science; Full Member, Russian Academy of Sciences

Moderator:

Hrair BALIAN, Director, Conflict Resolution Program, The Carter Center