IAMES Visit to ORSAM

3 minute reading time

Representatives of Vietnam based Institute for Africa and Middle East Studies (IAMES), Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung ve Pham Thi Kim Hue paid a visit to ORSAM on 27th October 2015. ORSAM Middle East Advisor Assist. Prof. Bayram Sinkaya, ORSAM Researcher Oytun Orhan, ORSAM Research Assistant Firuze Yagmur Gokler and Dr. Zeynep Sutalan participated in the meeting on behalf of ORSAM.

The meeting started with a presentation in which ORSAM Researcher OytunOrhan introduced ORSAM. General Director of IAMES Dr. NyugenManh Hung informed the participants about IAMES’ history and activities and indicated the purposes of its visit followingOrhan’s introduction. Dr. Hung stated that IAMES, estabished in 2004, is a relatively new institute compared to the other think  tanks in Vietnam since the interest in the Middle East has increased within the last period. Having said that the purpose of their visit was to be closely acquainted with the Middle East by cooperating with the think tanks in Turkey, which has an important influence in the region, IAMES delegation underlined that they also wanted to assess the economic potential in the region.

ORSAM Specialist on Syria OytunOrhan indicated that the current situation in Syria was very different than at the beginning during the meeting that continued with negatiations about recent developments in the Middle East. Having told that what had initially been gone through in Syria was only the conflicts between the regime and the opposition, Orhan emphasized that the current situation was shaped with a multi-actor and multifaceted structure and the conflicts were accompanied by ISIS, PYD and the fractions in the opposition. Orhan also added that the situation in Syria forced Turkey to play an active role in the region since it was the neighboring country of Syria and perceived the progress of forces like ISIS and PYD as a threat.

Another issue addressed in the meeting was the steps that Iran took in the region after the Nuclear Treaty. Having said that the treaty changed Iran’s position, ORSAM Middle East Advisor BayramSinkaya added that Iran was isolated before the Treaty but started to become integrated in the world after it. Assist. Prof. BayramSinkaya indicated that Iran was aware of its capacity and tried to use the conflicts in the region as a means but this was not possible in the Middle East, which had a multi-actor structure in which countries like the USA and Saudi Arabia were involved. Having stated that Rouhani government wanted to become influential in the economy rather than the politics, Sinkaya underlined that Iran’s domestic policies were also important at this point.

It was especially indicated that the stability assured in the region would be beneficial not only for Turkey and Vietnam but also for the entire world in the meeting where the economic situation in the Middle East was also evaluated.The meeting ended with question & answer session after the solution proposals which would assure order and stability in the region and the contributions to economic cooperation were evaluated.