Features of Russia-Egypt Relations in 2011–2013: Key Drivers and Obstacles

The work is devoted to the study of the main drivers and obstacles to the development of Russian-Egyptian relations in 2011-2013. The purpose of the work is to identify the main drivers and obstacles to the development of Russian-Egyptian relations in 2011-2013. The objectives of the study were to identify the main approaches of Russia and Egypt to building bilateral relations and solving regional problems, as well as to analyze the reaction of the main external players to internal political crises in Egypt. In addition, among the objectives of the study was to identify the dynamics of development of economic cooperation between Russia and Egypt in the context of internal political instability in Egypt. The methodological basis of this work was the principle of historicism and a systematic approach. The methodological tools of the study included qualitative content analysis, statistical analysis of time series, discourse analysis, and the method of semi-structured interviews. The study identified some drivers for the development of Russian-Egyptian cooperation, in particular, Russia’s interest in building a partnership with Egypt due to its role in the Middle East, as well as the Arab republic’s desire to diversify its external relations. An important impetus for the development of military-technical cooperation between Russia and Egypt was the consequences of the military coup in July 2013 in Egypt and the reaction of external players, in particular the United States, to internal political events in Egypt. Among the drivers for the development of Russian-Egyptian relations, one can also highlight the interest of the two countries in the development of economic relations. At the same time, in 2011-2013. There were a number of obstacles that hampered the development of Russian-Egyptian cooperation. The key one was the socio-political instability in Egypt. The development of military-political cooperation, in turn, was constrained by the building of a strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States. It is also important that Russia and Egypt assessed the “Arab Spring” and its consequences differently. The most pronounced contradictions between Russia and Egypt on issues of the regional agenda emerged around the Syrian crisis. Russia supported the official government in Damascus, while Egypt supported the “Syrian uprising” and even broke off diplomatic relations with Syria. In general, the period considered in this work was full of important political events that had a direct impact on the dynamics of Russian-Egyptian relations. Russia and Egypt sought to build balanced and constructive relations, and tried not only not to lose, but also, if possible, to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas that were of interest to the two countries in 2011-2013.