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Valdai discussion club to focus on ways to bring peace to Middle East

Participants will include Russian Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov and Chairman of upper house of parliament's Committee for Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. International conference is opening in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the ways of resolving the current crisis.

More than 100 political and clerical figures and leading experts of Russia, Arab countries, Iran, Turkey, Europe and the United States will take part in the forum organized by the Valdai International Discussion Club.

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Among the participants will be Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov, Chairman of Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Committee for Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev and President of Russian International Affairs Council Igor Ivanov.

"Today the idea of comprehensive security in the Middle East may seem to be utopia, but the discussion of the strategy for the way out of the current systemic crisis is essential," the organizers of the conference say. "This will be discussed by the experts during the Middle East dialogue of the Valdai International Discussion Club."

Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama on Monday issued a joint statement declaring ceasefire in Syria from midnight Damascus time on February 27. Moscow stresses that now it is important to focus on implementing the agreement.

The Valdai International Discussion Club was established in 2004. Over the past years, it has brought together more than 900 representatives of the global scholar community from 62 countries. Participants traditionally meet with the Russian president and other top officials as part of annual meetings of the club.

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