As the weight of the US in the Middle East decreases, problems in the Middle East are being solved

Photo: Reuters

2023 is likely to be the year of normalization in the history of the Middle East (West Asia), Turkish ‘Cumhuriyet’ writes.

The effect of the weakening of the West, led by the United States, opening up space for regional forces, is developing in the form of a spring mood. Here is the event table:

1) A meeting was held in Moscow between Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Eymen Susan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Iranian Foreign Ministry Advisor Ali Asgar Haci.

Of course, this is not easy, serious problems are at stake, but the ‘Astana breeze’ heralds spring. The Astana platform formed by Turkey, Iran and Russia could turn into an Astana quintet, first with Syria and then with China, which wants to become an observer member.

2) After Saudi Arabia and Iran decided to restore diplomatic relations on March 10, with the mediation of China, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries meet again in China.

The Saudi-Iranian peace will have a healing effect on a range of issues, from the problem of Yemen to the problem of Lebanon and Palestine, from the security architecture of the Persian Gulf to the cooperation of energy producers.

3) Iran appointed Reza Amiri as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after a seven-year hiatus.

4) Iranian Ambassador Ali Nasefi, Iraqi Ambassador Kays el Amiri, Syrian Ambassador Idris Maya and Saudi Arabian Ambassador Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi met in Oman on the occasion of Iftar and discussed relations between countries and regional issues.

5) After 12 years, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad visited Cairo and met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Shukri.

6) It was announced that Tunisian President Kays Said had instructed Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar to initiate the official process for appointing an ambassador to Syria.

7) Algerian President Abdulmecid Tebbun had a telephone conversation with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

8) It is stated that Bashar al-Assad will be invited to the meeting of the League of Arab States, which will be held in Saudi Arabia on May 19. They say that "Syria is returning to the Arab League", but in reality the Arab League is returning to Syria.

So what conclusions should we draw from this normalization table, how should we interpret it?

1) In the eight cases above, the US is not the US, but China and Russia. It can be read in another way: As the weight of the United States in the Middle East decreases, problems in the Middle East are being solved, spring is coming to the Middle East...

2) While the US is building its relationship with the countries of the Middle East on invasions and crises in its own interests, China and Russia are building their relationship on peace and normalization.

3) While the US is opposed to half of the Middle East and the other half of the Middle East, China and Russia are trying to develop good relations with all countries in the Middle East. For example, China and Russia cooperate with Iran and Israel.

4) The weakening of US hegemony provided multilateralism to the countries of the Middle East and opened up room for maneuver. The countries of the Middle East are beginning to assess this new situation in order to look for ways to develop together through improved relations.

5) Regional organizations such as the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, paralyzed by US intervention, have a chance to regain their effectiveness.

Thus, a new world is being created, and the countries of the Middle East (Western Asia) take their place in this world...

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