Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 11
By Kamila Aliyeva – Trend:
The meetings between US and Russian top-officials will positively impact the situation in the Middle East region, Shady Alkhaer, expert in Middle Eastern studies at King's College London, told Trend.
Expert noted that the United States’ approach to Russia can be described as two-dimensional.
“On the one hand, there is the Republican-dominated congress that is trying to impose further sanctions on Russia and pull Trump administration away from establishing contacts with Russian officials,” Alkhaer said.
The other side of the coin is comprised of Trump and his administration trying to engage Russia positively, which actually resulted in several successful ceasefires in Syria, according to the expert.
“I think regular Lavrov-Tillerson meetings will have a positive impact on the US engagement in Syria and Middle East. At the same time, they will help in furthering cooperation and joint work against IS,” he added.
Nevertheless, this depends on the extent to which the Congress can disrupt Trump-Russia contacts, Alkhaer noted.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a meeting in Manila on Aug. 6. It was the first meeting between the officials since US imposed a new set of sanctions against Russia, Aug. 2. Both sides vowed for continuation of dialogue for improving ties between the countries.