ABSTRACT
The Middle East has been an area in world politics where the interests of the EU and Russia have both overlapped and clashed. This chapter analyses the evolution of EU and Russian policies towards the Middle East since the end of the Cold War, looking particularly at their joint efforts to agree on common positions and policies. After discussing the general principles and the significance of the region in the grand strategies of both parties, the chapter deals with the main concerns in the area: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen and Syria. The chapter concludes by asking whether the Middle East is an area where EU–Russia cooperation can be carried out as a compartmentalised activity or to what effect the overall dynamics of the relationship affect cooperation in this area or, conversely, whether the experiences from regional cooperation affect the overall relations.
