MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Not a single external player has either the strength, strategy, or capability to assume a role of regional space "engineer" in the Middle East, Vasily Kuznetsov, deputy director of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, said.

According to the expert, the recent peace summit in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh and the wide reaction to it from both regional and global players exposed "the piled-up weariness of the burden of responsibility stemming from the region’s increased agency and the desire to return to the time when global powers were able to settle conflicts through a couple of decisions or via a limited number of shuttle diplomacy visits."

"But the question is how these decisions and this intention to return to the past, to return to the 20th century are not even justified but realistic," he said at a session of the Russia-Middle East forum. "I think this is unrealistic since although the picture looks very beautiful, although there is a wide media effect, not a single external player can now act as an engineer of the Middle East’s regional space: they have neither the strength nor strategy nor preparedness for long and scrupulous work. This applies to the United States as well."

According to Kuznetsov, in the current environment, "the issue of the Middle East’s agency is not about what these or those Middle East states want but about what they have to cope with."

On October 13, a peace summit was held in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh following the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Trump and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a final ceasefire agreement in the Palestinian enclave. According to al-Sisi's office, the summit participants called for the implementation of the next stages of Trump's plan, including governance, infrastructure reconstruction, and a political settlement.

The 5th Russia-Middle East international expert forum is being held in Moscow from October 20 through 22. Taking part in it are scientists and politicians from Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Kuwait. The topics include a wide range of issues on the Middle East agenda, including sustainable regional cooperation models taking into account both general regional development tendencies and key challenges.