The Primakov Readings are characterized by their tradition, they are a regular event. This is a large number of guests from abroad, and neither sanctions nor attempts at isolation by the West affected this. Now I see many acquaintances, not only from the countries of the Near and Middle East or Africa, but also from Europe, who through difficult routes (through Istanbul, for example, or from Finland), came to this event and They are participating in it. Of course, the pressure that the Americans are putting on everyone has some influence, but not as much as they expected.
“Primakov’s readings are also a memory of Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov. I communicated a lot with him, I often talked with him for a long time, and many of the problems that now exist in the Middle East region were predicted by Yevgeny Maksimovich. And outside the region: it was he who spoke about the initiative to strengthen trilateral cooperation between Russia, India and China. This is the idea that formed the basis of many international organizations, and this is the idea that we are now seeing in terms of expansion of BRICS, which will take place next year, precisely during the Russian presidency, Yevgeny Maksimovich has always said that American hegemony will sooner or later end and will be replaced by other formats, and Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov spoke about this today.
By the way, at one time I spoke for a long time and often with Sergei Viktorovich, as I accompanied him on international trips. And I noticed that he was as cheerful as ever: numerous negotiations and such an inhuman workload did not affect his sense of humor or his ability to analyze problems in a complex way. In his speech he paid the greatest attention to issues of international justice. I hear the word “justice” very often from many who do not like the way the United States behaves internationally. I’m not even talking about Europe, because Europe is in a subordinate position and does what the Americans say. Washington has made many mistakes in the Middle East. Both Israelis and Palestinians pay for this in blood. Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov gave many examples of how the Americans destroyed many states under good pretexts. He named what was near me, for example, the destroyed Syrian city of Raqqa, the destroyed Iraqi city of Mosul. Taken together, this creates a vivid picture that Americans, first, lie and, second, commit unseemly acts under plausible pretexts. They often achieve their selfish goals and become rich from this, but apparently this has come to an end, because many no longer want to go in this direction.
What did you like most about the experts’ interventions in the Middle East forum session and what did you yourself learn? I know all the speakers personally. It was great to see Ramzi, an Egyptian who has been involved in Middle East regulation for many years. He spoke of the impasse in which the region finds itself. But what I liked the most was the performance of Irina Donovna Zvyagelskaya. Still, I will say that she feels the academic approach of the school of Evgeniy Maksimovich Primakov; when everything was resolved and the presentation was specific and clear. A little pessimistic, perhaps. I share some of his opinions: I also think that it will be very difficult to create a Palestinian state now. There are no international mechanisms for this and the parties are not prepared for it.
However, I will say that I am probably a little more optimistic than Irina Donovna. I think the time has come to join forces to solve this problem. And there is no need to leave it to the participants in the conflict themselves: they cannot do it. And here Russia can play a very important role. I still believe that international formats can work if there is political will. Today will mark 76 years since the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the creation of two States: the Jewish and the Arab. “76 years is a long time, but I still think something can be done.”
