On November 30, 2018, Paris hosted a seminar organized by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Institut Montaigne (France), focusing on the opportunities for Russia-France cooperation in the Middle East. The event was attended by Russian and French experts, representatives of academic institutions, think tanks and diplomatic circles (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
On November 30, 2018, Paris hosted a seminar organized by Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) and Institut Montaigne (France), focusing on the opportunities for Russia-France cooperation in the Middle East. The event was attended by Russian and French experts, representatives of academic institutions, think tanks and diplomatic circles (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
The meeting was opened by Michel Duclos advising Institut Montaigne, and Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General. During the first session, the parties discussed the role of Iran in regional policy in the Middle East, the challenges and opportunities for stabilizing the situation in the region related to the U.S. withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The second session was devoted to the political settlement in Syria, security issues, and the reconstruction of the country. In the closing session of the event, the experts discussed ways to bring together Russia’s and France’s positions on conflict resolution in the Middle East.
Russian delegation included Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General; Alexander Aksenyonok, RIAC Vice-President; Timur Makhmutov, RIAC Deputy Director of Programs; Ruslan Mamedov, RIAC Program Assistant; Vladimir Sazhin, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS; Maxim A. Suchkov, Senior Fellow at MGIMO MFA, RIAC Expert.
