The importance of the alliance and close cooperation between Russia and the Islamic world is being talked about more and more every year. According to Vitaly Naumkin, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in such difficult times, which have affected all countries, Russia’s alliance with the Islamic world is in high demand.
‘Today we are witnessing a growing trend towards consolidation of this alliance, towards its expansion in economic, cultural, political and civilizational spheres. If we speak in general about the work of the Strategic Vision Group ‘Russia – Islamic World’, then for some time the activities have been stalled due to turbulent events in the world and many fears that have not been materialized. Now, objectively speaking, the Islamic world is, unfortunately, quite divided. This has an impact on the cooperation between the Islamic world and Russia. At the same time, a larger and more serious mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and Russia has emerged’, Naumkin is convinced.
The expert is convinced that there are no tensions between Russia and the countries of the Islamic world which would indicate the existence of any serious contradictions. On the contrary, there is a longing for mutual understanding, so that this conceptual affinity, the affinity between Orthodoxy and Islam, the affinity of civilizations, can be promoted and developed.
‘The need for dialogue is great, especially today. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is moving towards to being closer to Russia. What is happening today with the West, the events in Afghanistan, have fundamentally changed the whole situation in the Islamic East. The prospects for our country and for the Group as well are great. As far as scientific and technological cooperation is concerned, it is quite obvious that the Islamic world has distinguished leading countries that have achieved a great deal. Apart from Saudi Arabia, I would like to give the example of the United Arab Emirates, which has become a leader in space research. The cooperation between the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates in this field is advancing rapidly in a way that would have been unthinkable before. Nowadays it is a wide program. New technologies make it possible to cope with today’s complex challenges and threats. Including, for instance, cyber financing of extremist activities’, Vitaly Naumkin explained.
According to him, such cooperation is extremely important for the Islamic world and Russia within the framework of countering and developing joint concepts and approaches.
Ilmira Gafiyatullina