The expert named the reasons for the support of the "Peace Council" in the Middle East

Support for the initiative of US President Donald Trump to create a "Peace Council" from a number of Middle Eastern states is explained not so much by enthusiasm for the idea itself as by their pragmatic considerations. Vasily Ostanin-Golovnya, a researcher at the Department of the Near and Post-Soviet East of the INION RAS, told Izvestia about this.

"First of all, the sphere of foreign policy interests, as well as the desire to maintain beneficial relations with Washington for states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt," the expert believes.

According to him, for these countries, participation in the initiative is a way to demonstrate loyalty to their main ally without entering into direct confrontation with other global axis centers.

"Saudi Arabia, as a regional leader, seeks to strengthen its role as an indispensable, key partner of the United States in the Middle East. At the same time, official support from the Saudis does not mean unconditional approval of all aspects of Trump's initiative," the expert believes.

He added that Qatar's participation in the Peace Council could be seen as an opportunity to strengthen its image as a responsible international player, a mediator in current conflicts in the region, and to ease pressure from some of its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

"Jordan has been acting as a moderate link in the region since the 1970s, and the country sees the initiative to create a Peace Council as a potential channel for advancing its own priorities, primarily protecting the interests of the Palestinians and stabilizing the situation on the border with Israel and Syria," Ostanin-Golovnya said.

The support of the "Peace Council" by the Arab states of the Middle East is not an act of ideological solidarity with Trump, the source believes.

"This is rather a calculated step as part of their long—term strategy to ensure security and stability in the region and promote their own foreign policy interests, which largely depend on relations with Washington," the Arabist concluded.

Read more about the reasons for the desire of Middle Eastern countries to join the "Peace Council" announced by Donald Trump in the Izvestia article.

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