Enriching Mideast Economic Future Conference Stresses Importance of Gulf Region to the World

Doha, November 13 (QNA) - Participants in Enriching the Middle East's Economic Future Conference underlined the importance of the Gulf region to the world for its significant position on the international arena as it represents a bridge between the Asia and Europe, and a land of many civilizations that had a profound impact on the surrounding societies. Speakers in the first seminar of the fifth session of the conference's second day, which discusses the interests of Russia, Europe and the United States in the Gulf region, said that the region has gained new momentum with the discovery of oil and gas in the Gulf region, but this region is now facing many challenges, especially the changing political situation of the surrounding countries and the fall of a number of regimes of neighboring countries with a large foreign military presence in the Gulf region. They described the European policies in the Gulf as pale policies, and although Europe and the European Union tried to establish neighborly relations with the GCC countries, that policy quickly rebounded due to its weakness and not taking sufficient steps to make it a success. they noted that Europe believes that the current relations between the Gulf states under the siege imposed on the State of Qatar is a collapse of the Gulf House, stressing that the European role in the Gulf fell in favor of both the United States and the Russian Federation. With regard to the Russian Federation, the speakers differed on its current situation in the region, with one group describing it as not seeking a long-term presence in the region, and that the current presence comes to achieve economic and commercial goals, while another group of speakers believes that Russia seeks to play a larger role in the region and to reduce the American influence. In contrast to the clarity of Russia's policy towards the countries of the region, there is a lack of clear vision on the United States approach towards those countries. The speakers said that the Russian-American relations at their lowest levels and are not improving recently because of the difference between the policies of the two countries. The second day of Enriching the Middle East's Economic Future Conference includes four sessions with three seminars for each, in addition to the closing session which will conclude the conference. (QNA)