MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. The creation of a Middle East analogue of NATO as designed by the United States is at variance with the strategic interests of the Arab countries, they will not agree to it, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa said on Tuesday.

"It remains to be seen whether a [Middle East] NATO will be formed, I very much doubt that the Arabs will toe the line of the Americans, since they understand that this goes against their strategic interests, given that they need to build good neighborly relations with the countries of this region, and not vice versa," the senior diplomat told the Channel One TV channel.

The region has long spoken of the need to establish a Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), which, in fact, could become the Arab equivalent of NATO. This topic was actively discussed in the media during the presidency of Donald Trump. Six Gulf countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia), as well as Egypt and Jordan, were planned to become part of an "Arab NATO". The goals of the coalition were supposed to be to counter threats in the region and bolster economic and energy cooperation.