On December 8-10, 2014, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the Xth Annual Conference of Arabists of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences: "Russia - the Arab World Islam (Historical Aspects and Modernity)", organized by the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The event was attended by employees of the Institute, as well as scientists from other Moscow research and educational institutions: the Russian State University for the Humanities, the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Asian and African Countries of Moscow State University.

The conference focused on the history of Russian-Arab relations in the fields of economics, politics and culture. The topics of the presentations reflected current problems and current trends in the current state of the Arab countries. The discussion focused on such issues as the influence of the Islamic State on regional and global security, the formation and development of Russian-Arab relations (Russian-Algerian relations, the evolution of Russian-Egyptian relations, the history of Russian-Arab relations in the XXI century). They discussed the problems of social changes, the alignment of political forces and the direction of transformation of political structures in the region (the policy of Saudi Arabia after the "Arab Spring", the formation of the United Arab Emirates as a federal state). In addition, historical documents and literary monuments of the medieval East were analyzed, as well as problems of political and economic development of the Arab East in modern and modern times.

Opening the conference, the organizer, Chief Researcher of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Islamic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences B. G. Seyranyan noted that Russian-Arab relations have now reached a new stage and for their understanding it is necessary to carefully study their history and current state, paying attention to general theoretical problems.

At the conference, the above problems were discussed in three sections: "Economics. Literature", "Modern History and Political Science" and " Medieval History of Arab countries. Islam".

The topics of the plenary session reports were diverse. A. B. Podtserob (IB RAS), reviewing Russian-Arab relations at the beginning of the XXI century, stressed that what is happening in the Arab East is of great importance for Russia. Describing the latest changes in military-technical relations, A. B. Podtserob retaliated that in this issue Russia faces great competition from the United States and Western European countries.

B. G. Seyranyan in the report " Main stages of Russian (Soviet)development-Arab relations in the XX-early XXI century" drew attention to the fact that the origins of diplomatic relations between Russia and Egypt were outstanding diplomats and politicians Mustafa al-Nahhas (Prime Minister of Egypt, Chairman of the Wafd party) and I. M. Maisky (Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR). As a result of the difficult work to overcome the resistance of the Egyptian palace circles, diplomatic relations between the USSR and Egypt were established on August 26, 1943. In the 1950s, President Abdel Nasser of Egypt made special contributions to establishing close ties with the USSR (in the political, economic, and military spheres). In March 1954, the Embassies of the USSR in Egypt and Egypt in the USSR were opened. The speaker described the first Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow, Aziz Ali Al-Masri, as a prominent political and military figure. B. G. Seyranyan stressed that at all stages of Soviet-Egyptian relations, cooperation in the military-technical sphere was the most important. Among the achievements of the 1950s and 1960s, he attributed the creation of an industrial infrastructure, the crowning achievement of which was the construction of the Aswan dam. Anwar Sadat's foreign policy was aimed at curtailing ties with the USSR and reorienting to the West (especially the United States). As for the Russian-Egyptian relations after the 2011 revolution and the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, B. G. Seyranyan noted that Cairo seeks to reduce its military dependence on the United States and, in search of new partners, is increasingly leaning towards Russia for military cooperation.

G. G. Kosach (RSUH) in his report "Saudi politics after the Arab Spring "highlighted the main directions of its foreign policy at the present stage: approach to the problems of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf( GCC); attitude to the Egyptian and Syrian events. The priority countries for the Saudi regime are the Gulf states and

countries of the Arab-Muslim world. Considering the Bahraini events of 2011 as part of Iran's policy of destabilizing the regional situation while relying on radical Shiite organizations, the Saudi regime advocates structural restructuring and expanding the functions of the GCC (joint defense and security of the regional space), assuming a transition from the stage of cooperation to the stage of Alliance and even allowing the rejection of part of national sovereignty. Saudi Arabia in the Arab Spring acted as a conservative power, especially showing hostility to the events in Egypt. The attitude to the events in Syria remains unchanged and is based on several grounds: 1) recognizing the national coalition of the Syrian revolutionary opposition as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people; 2) preventing Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle from assuming any power in Syria in the future; 3) preventing any contacts with the international coalition leading the fight against the "Islamic State" and the Syrian regime, which should be excluded from the list of participants in the confrontation with the "Islamic State".

E. S. Melkumyan's report "United Arab Emirates: The Formation of a Federal state"was devoted to the history of the creation of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is becoming more active in the region, trying to play a prominent role in the Middle East. This trend is particularly evident in recent years. The UAE is the only federal state in the Arab East that successfully operates and demonstrates sustainability and efficiency. The main role in the creation of the UAE was played by two emirates - Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which surpassed the rest of the emirates in terms of economic development. The result of long negotiations and discussions (the idea of creating a federal state emerged in the mid-1950s during the British protectorate) was the signing of the agreement on the creation of a federation in December 1971. The agreement was signed by six emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Umm al-Qaywain, Fujairah and Sharjah), the seventh Emirate, Ras al-Khaimah, joined the federation in 1972. Features of the federal power system of the new state: Supreme Federal Council, Council of Ministers, Parliamentary structure, independent judicial system headed by the Federal Supreme Court. However, each emirate retained its own government and other authorities. The distribution of powers between federal and national authorities took place gradually and on a voluntary basis. E. S. Melkumyan pointed out that during the existence of the federation, a peculiar Emirati identity emerged (all citizens of the country consider themselves first of all citizens of the general federation, and not of a separate emirate). A lively discussion was caused by the question of the role of the UK in the idea of creating the UAE. The panelists agreed that Great Britain played a significant role in the formation of the new state and was interested in creating a federation.

B. V. Dolgov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Russian-Algerian relations in the XXI century" emphasized that Algeria's relations with Russia have traditionally been friendly and partner-like since the Soviet times. Within the framework of the Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed in 2001 between Algeria and the Russian Federation, work continues on joint projects in the oil and gas sector, cooperation in the space sector, metallurgy, electric power, information technology and military-technical sphere. Along with economic and political cooperation, the joint Algerian-Russian group on counter-terrorism and security issues is working. For Russia, it is strategically important to continue and deepen cooperation with Algeria in these areas, as well as in the joint fight against Islamist terrorism. Moreover, the latter aspect in the light of the expansion of radical Islamists of ISIL in Iraq and Syria, their threats against Russia, as well as the crisis in Ukraine (according to the speaker, there is evidence that radical Islamists from Syria and Libya participated in clashes on the side of the "Maidan" in Kiev in February 2014) acquire the greatest relevance. According to Dolgov, the appearance of radical Islamists on Ukrainian territory, including from Arab countries, and their attempts to transfer their "jihad" to Russia cannot be ruled out. In such a hypothetical situation, to prevent terrorist acts, it is necessary to expand cooperation in this area between Russia and Algeria, which has extensive experience in suppressing Islamist terrorism.

G. F. Goryachkin (ISAA) in his report "Rauf Abbas as a representative of the Egyptian school of Historians" drew the attention of the conference participants to a well-known figure of the Egyptian historical school. The speaker noted his contribution to the study of the modern and contemporary history of Egypt, the role of the organizer of science and the initiator of sociological research. Abbas is little known in Russia, but he was a friend who was interested in studying the history of long-standing Egyptian-Russian relations based on archival sources and materials.

In the section " Economics. Literature " was presented by economists from the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences and ISAA of Moscow State University, as well as reports from the Department of Asian Literature. His research interests ranged from military-technical cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Arab East and analysis of the current political and economic state of a number of Arab countries to the transformation of global hydrocarbon markets and the specifics of the organization of banking and financial activities of Islamic banks.

In his report "Russia and the Arab East: Modern Aspects of Military-Technical Cooperation", V. A. Budanov (Institute of Strategic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) spoke about Russia's military-technical cooperation with some countries of the Arab East and identified Russia's prospects in the arms market of the Middle East and Central Asia. The speaker noted that Russia faces serious difficulties and challenges, to overcome which it is necessary to adhere to a pragmatic approach to the process, taking into account fierce competition in the arms markets, create preferences for consumers and not avoid transactions with low profitability, demonstrating the reliability of a proven partner.

L. S. Bocharova (ISAA) in her report "Prerequisites for the formation of venture capital in Arab countries" considered the possibilities of forming venture capital, which is a breakthrough moment in the history of the formation of Arab capital, which denies risks and seeks to invest in proven projects with guaranteed profitability. The emergence of a new practice indicates a major shift in the entrepreneurial consciousness and opens up a new quality in asset transactions.

The report "Arab oil Exporters in the context of Russian politics" was delivered by G. L. Ghukasyan (Institute of Oil and Gas Industry of the Russian Academy of Sciences). He analyzed the strategy of market behavior of Arab oil exporters and considered the specifics of their energy policy in comparison with the interests of Russia. The speaker identified the features of interaction between these competing partners, clarified the goals that they face, ways and methods of solving problems that are associated with securing the place of the largest players in the world economic space.

The subject of L. N. Rudenko's research "Transformation of energy markets and energy policy of Arab countries" is shifts in the development of productive forces in oil - exporting countries and the situation in the oil and gas sector and the hydrocarbon market generated by these changes, which is governed by its own laws and is influenced by multidirectional trends in politics. The author notes that this not only affects the dynamics of energy supply and demand or the adjustment of raw material production volumes, but also often turns economic factors into a tool for achieving their goals by specific forces.

A. O. Filonik (IB RAS) devoted his speech to the topic "Islamic banks: standardization as a condition for optimizing financial business". Considering the features of the organization of banking and financial activities, the speaker came to the conclusion that it requires alignment of approaches to working with banking instruments and products in the context of the strengthened position of the Sharia credit and financial sphere. According to the author, the system has reached a certain level of development, and new approaches are required to increase its efficiency by improving the quality of internal mechanisms.

G. I. Smirnova's report "Libya in the light of current events" analyzes various aspects of the foreign policy situation after the overthrow of Gaddafi. Extremely negative prospects pose a serious threat to the leadership and a challenge for the country and the region. The author of the report states that there is a real danger of a civil war between supporters of the secular path of development and Islamists with the prospect of the collapse of the state. The economic situation is on the verge of collapse, the authorities have lost their regular oil revenues and are forced to spend their gold and foreign exchange reserves, and foreign direct investment is unlikely in the face of a fierce armed struggle. G. I. Smirnova concluded that the country is in a deep crisis and still has no way out of this situation.

T. O. Ivanov (Institute of Oriental Studies) devoted his speech to the problem of the "Islamic State" (IS) and the situation in Jordan. He spoke about the internal political processes that are developing largely under the influence of events in Syria and Iraq and in one form or another threaten the national security of the kingdom. The state of uncertainty affects the positional struggle of views, the nature of twists and turns, and conflicting assessments of possible dynamics by representatives of different groups. The speech contains an analysis of existing points of view in society, reflecting the positions of the Jordanian branch of Salafists, the Muslim Brotherhood, secular liberals, as well as the official opinion of the authorities regarding Jordan's participation in the coalition against the Islamic State.

The report of V. S. Shevchenko (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) was devoted to the work of the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The author of the report examined the multilateral and impartial work of the international body investigating the assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister. The author has shown that the tribunal is biased, motivated by political motives and seeks mainly to discredit the Syrian leadership and the Hezbollah party. According to V. S. Shevchenko, the body designed to promote stability and the rule of law has caused a split and increased tension in the country.

E. A. Ali-zade (IB RAS) in her report "Russian-Arabic literary relations of the first half of the XX century" considered issues related to the study of those aspects of the literary process in the Arab world that go in line with interaction with Russian literature and materialize in the form of translations of Russian and Russian classics into Arabic by Arabic translators. The author did extensive research, which was based on the search for little-known translations and establishing their authenticity and identity to Russian works, since the Arabs often sought to bring the content closer to the tastes of the Arab reader.

N. M. Shuiskaya's speech "The Arab world and the cultural continuum" traces and analyzes the realities of cultural and literary life in the Arab East and highlights the most significant moments in the formation of Arab spirituality and mentality that bring the Arab world and countries of other civilizational affiliation closer together. The aim of the Arabs to explore the historical and literary heritage of Russia and convey the content of the works of the most prominent representatives of Russian literature to the Arab public was noted.

The section "Modern History and Political Science" discussed problems related to threats from the "Islamic State"; the situation of our compatriots in Arab countries. Reports were presented on the history of Arab countries, in particular on the reform of the Al-Azhar University in Egypt.

A.V. Demchenko (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: Internal politics and features of the state structure"noted that the proclamation of the so-called caliphate by radical Islamists in Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014 was a new milestone in the development of the jihadist movement in the Middle East region. The specifics of the IS, in his opinion, lies in the fact that, unlike Al-Qaeda, its leaders position the IS not as a network terrorist organization, but as a territorial project and even seek to establish a peaceful life in the occupied territories, dealing with administrative, social, economic, and economic problems in the territories under their control.

I. Kh. Minyazhetdinov (IB RAS) expressed his opinion on the IS group, noting the factors of military and terrorist expansion of this structure in Iraq. The speaker considered the problems associated with the ideological, confessional and political identification of the IG phenomenon. According to I. H. Minyazhetdinov, this political force has a foreign nature, ideology and political culture for Iraq, unlike other local traditional political movements and forces. It did not originate among Iraqi Sunnis or Shiites, but came from outside, subjugating some and killing others. The IG group is one of the structural components of the global terrorist network organization Al-Qaeda, which has occupied a significant part of Iraqi territory through military and terrorist expansion.

In continuation of this topic, I. A. Zamaraeva (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) considered the question of the potential danger of the Islamic State group for Pakistan. She cited Aziz, the Prime Minister's National Security and Foreign Policy adviser, who said that " the rise of non-State actors such as the Islamic State (IS) has changed the global matrix of challenges and is beginning to threaten the stability of many states and societies, including our region." There are several objective/subjective reasons for strengthening the position of the IG in Pakistan, strengthening the potential cooperation of some Pakistani militant groups and IG detachments. The combat successes of the IS militants in Iraq and Syria to a certain extent became an example for radical extremists of certain groups of the Taliban Movement of Pakistan (TTP), playing the role of a catalyst (financial support, continuation of armed activity). IS has gradually become an inspiration for both Islamist militant groups and civil religious associations in the region, particularly in Pakistan. Many Pakistani and Afghan fighters have received moral and financial support from IS. Some of them declared allegiance to the Islamic State and gave orders to their Taliban to help jihadist groups in the Middle East. Their goal is to create a worldwide Islamic caliphate. The author states that in the Pa-

Christians believe that the IS organization plans to establish its bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the main contingent of troops of the international US/NATO coalition. This raises legitimate concerns of the ruling civil administration of Islamabad. The influx of foreign fighters will only worsen the security situation in the country.

N. V. Sukhov (IB RAS) in his report "Russian-speaking communities in Arab countries" drew attention to the position of our compatriots in Arab countries (their family, social, professional ties in host societies). The Russian-speaking community in the Middle East and North Africa region exceeds 100 thousand people. These people, according to the speaker, play a significant role in their own countries, are carriers of a positive image of Russia. Globalization has accelerated the dynamics of social processes in Arab countries, created civilizational dissonance among the population, which caused social "fermentation" in some countries and led to a change in the ruling regimes in other states. The current processes of socio-political transformation in the Arab countries require a significant activation of the subjects of "soft power" aimed at restoring and strengthening interaction between Russia and the new and old elites that have undergone changes in their composition. Natives of the USSR and Russia were more or less integrated into the host societies. In a number of Arab countries (Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia), several categories of compatriots have historically developed: descendants of emigrants from the first (after the 1917 revolution) and second (after World War II) waves; wives of Arabs who studied in the USSR, their children; wives of Arabs who came from Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Russian-speaking citizens from Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and other former Soviet republics consider themselves our compatriots here. In Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, for example, self-awareness of a Russian compatriot has emerged in recent years amid the crisis processes in the Middle East among members of numerous Circassian and Dagestani diasporas who are descendants of mountaineers who emigrated from the Caucasus in the 19th century.

E. N. Panfilenko's report "External relations between Sudan and Chad" examines the relationship between the two poorest countries in the world, potentially rich (oil, uranium, iron, bauxite, gold), but torn apart by internal and external conflicts. Interethnic and tribal divisions take the form of civil wars, which lasted 30 years in Chad and 35 in Sudan. Until 2003, relations between Sudan and Chad were relatively peaceful. But in 2003, a crisis broke out in Darfur, a vast region along Sudan's border with Chad1, where two rebel groups formed by indigenous farmers and the Janjaweed clashed. 2014 marked the end of the rebellion and the development of reconciliation between the rebels.

The report of O. V. Moskalets (IB RAS) was devoted to the main stages of Al-Azhar University reform in Egypt. The author analyzes the main reforms that took place at the university during the XIX-XX centuries. (starting with Muhammad Ali). For a long time, Al-Azhar remained the leading center of Muslim enlightenment. And now the Al-Azhar diploma means a successful career, a secure future and lifelong respect for others. A special role in the reform of the university was played by the famous Egyptian public figure and reformer of Islam, Muhammad Abdo, who presented a broad and constructive program of Al-Azhar reforms. In his opinion, the revival of Islam should have started with the university. Advocating the assimilation of Western civilization and the spread of enlightenment and technical knowledge in Muslim countries, he argued that to reform Al-Azhar means to reform the entire Muslim world. During this period, there was a struggle between supporters of Muhammad Abdo and supporters of conservative sheikhs within the walls of Al-Azhar. M. Abdo's desire to raise a generation free from medieval traditions, striving for free thinking, was perceived negatively by the orthodox leadership of Al-Azhar . It was planned to change the structure of the university, the program and teaching methods, the creation of specialized faculties, the introduction of new courses in modern sciences, and a number of other changes. Since the mid-20th century. Al-Azhar is known as one of the largest Islamic universities of religious and linguistic orientation. Thanks to the favorable conditions of study and accommodation, as well as relatively liberal rules, the university becomes attractive for applicants from almost all Islamic communities of the world.

¹ For this topic in our journal, see: [Kostelyanets, 2015, pp. 76-86]; as well as T. L. Deich's review of the book by the same author (Deich, 2015).

On the section " Medieval history of Arab countries. Islam" discussed topics of medieval literature, culture and history.

The report of D. E. Mishin (IB RAS) was devoted to the analysis of the legend of the creation of man, which, according to the "Tale of Bygone Years", in the XI century the Magi from Yaroslavl told the voivode Jan Vyshatich. It has long been noted in the literature that this legend is a transmission of one Mordovian legend, known to ethnographers of the XIX century. The speaker went a little further and compared the legend with information from Eastern sources. The conclusions drawn by D. E. Mishin allow us to state that the legend originated in the East and is a complex combination of Zoroastrian, Manichaean and, possibly, Muslim ideas.

D. V. Mikulsky (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) reviewed the information about Russia, Europe, and the United States that the Egyptian scientist of Rifa Rafi at-Tahtawi (1801-1872) presented in his book "Guiding Paths leading Egyptian Minds to the Treasures of Modern Education"published in 1869. Comparing the Western countries with Egypt, al-Tahtawi concluded that Egypt, being a naturally rich country, began to lag behind in development due to improper land management during the Mamluk period. According to the speaker, the theses expressed by al-Tahtawi indicate that he was, on the one hand, a traditional Muslim scholar, and on the other, a supporter of both technical and social progress.

In his report "War by other people's hands: Russia's participation in repelling Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt and Syria", T. Y. Kobishchanov (ISAA) noted that numerous studies devoted to the Egyptian and Syrian campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte (1798-1801) practically ignore Russia's participation in the struggle of the second anti - French coalition for Egypt and Syria. At the same time, although the tsarist government did not conduct direct military operations in the Middle East, its role in the events that took place there was great.

T. M. Kalinina (IVI RAS) in her report "Genres of Arabic literature in Eastern European plots of al-Mas'udi books" noted the strict adherence of Arab scholars of the tenth century to the most common canons of Arabic literature. In the two surviving books of al-Mas'udi, the genres of maghazi and siyar, i.e. information about wars, correlated with the presentation of the reign of Muhammad, his successors, as well as the rulers of other states; thus, the writer recorded historical events. These materials are close to the genre of at-tarikh, i.e. stories where the time frame of events was indicated. Al-Mas'udi arranged his news according to the chronology. The report also shows other examples of the inclusion of genres of Arabic literature in the text of the presentation: quotations from the Koran, fragments of poems, fada'il, a'ja'ib, ' adab, etc. However, the purpose of al-Mas'udi's work was still to present world history, although his books were written in a fictionalized form.

V. V. Prudnikov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences), in his report "The anthroponym' Malacorona 'in the Chronicle of the First Crusade' Anonimi Gesta Francorum et aliorum Hierosolyminatorum ' ('On the Deeds of the Franks and Other Jerusalem People')", considered the term 'Malacorona' mentioned in the chronicle. In modern historiography, there are discrepancies in the translation of this term and, as a result, there is no clear understanding of this anthroponym in the Latin chronicles of the XI-XII centuries. In Normandy, Sicily and the Latin East, this nickname was worn by representatives of Norman aristocratic families, as well as the crusader and Patriarch of Jerusalem Arnulf. Based on the data of authors of the XI-XII centuries, V. V. Prudnikov suggested translating the term "Malacorona" from Latin as "bad cleric" and suggests that this term served at that time as a definition of a highly educated and learned person (clergyman or layman) who behaved inappropriately (frivolously).

V. V. Tishin (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) made a report "Sacred functions of the Turkic Khagans: current state of the source base and the problem of using Muslim sources about the Khazars". The author devoted the report to the problem of the participation of the rulers of the Turkic Khaganate of the VI-VIII centuries in the religious life of the population of this political entity. Neither the ancient Turkic, Chinese, Byzantine, or Sogdian materials themselves allow us to speak about the direct participation of the Turkic khagans in any sacred actions. The speaker drew attention to the historiographical tendency to attract data from Arab-Muslim authors who describe in detail the sacred functions of the Khazar Khaganate rulers, as a comparative historical tool for reconstructing the religious life of the population of the Turkic Khaganate, including the role of the khagan. However, according to the speaker, such a method of mechanical extrapolation is based only on a certain commonality of cultural and state values.

the use of these political entities without taking into account the specific historical conditions of their existence cannot be considered methodologically justified.

Summing up the results of the work, the high theoretical level of the conference and the value of its practical results for further research were noted.

list of literature

Kostelyanets S. V. Conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan: a regional aspect // East (Oriens). 2015. N 1.

Deich T. L. [Rec. on:] Kostelyanets S. V. Darfur: istoriya konflikt [Darfur: the History of the conflict]. 2015. N 4.

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