According to the prestigious FT GMM publication, Russia is organizing a convention of experts to discuss the main Middle East issues.

Former Russian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evgeny Primakov and former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei will open Valdai Discussion Club conference. The event is expected to discuss the economic and political challenges facing the Middle East over the next decade. The conference, “Middle East 2020: Is the Comprehensive Settlement Possible?” will take place on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan at the Holiday Inn Resort from December 20-22. After their opening remarks, the first session of the conference will start: Its title is \"Conflict Settlement: Towards a Regional Balance\". The moderator will be Sergei Karaganov and key speakers will be Andrei Baklanov, Zvi Magen, Taha Abdel Alimand James Clad. With over sixty participants expected to address the conference, the three-day event will host leading scholars, political actors, and businesspeople from the Middle East, Russia, and elsewhere. The conference will feature four sessions centered on vital issues including regional security, non-proliferation and the role of non-regional actors in the Middle East. Other prominent figures will be Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Saltanov, and former Egyptian Ambassador to the United States Nabil Fahmy. Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti, The Moscow News newspaper, Russia Profile and Russia in Global Affairs magazines, and the Council for Froeign and Defense Policy are organizing the conference in cooperation with Valdai Discussion Club.