The Eastern Economic Forum – Vladivostok 2024: The gate for the Arab and African world to East Asia

By: Contribution for Syrializm

As part of the coverage of the annual event hosted by the Russian city of Vladivostok, the most important economic city in East Asia, which continues to host the Eastern Economic Forum in its territory, the ninth edition of the forum will be held from September 3 to 6, which is organized annually by the prestigious “Roscongress Foundation” in organizing forums.

As mentioned, the forum is held annually in the city of Vladivostok, located in the Russian Far East, where the event is a platform for attracting investments to the Russian Far East region, and is a platform where participants discuss the challenges facing the Russian and global economy.

The forum prioritizes the issues it is interested in, promoting economic and cultural exchanges between regions in Asia and the Pacific.

This article will discuss the prospects for developing economic relations and bridging the gap between Arab and African countries to the economic and cultural sphere of the East Asian region, as the intensification of Arab and African participation in the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok will be an important gateway for the Arab and African worlds towards the East Asian region.

The significance of the Arab and African convergence with East Asia from the Russian portal

The Russian presence and contributions have always been important, since the time of the Russian Federation, for a significant number of Arab and African countries, many of which have long and historical relations with Russia, many of which date back half a century or more.

Russian relations with the Arab world and the countries of the African continent have contributed over the years to strengthening common interests, and Russian support and assistance provided to these countries in various fields have contributed to strengthening the development and liberation of these countries, in addition to the contribution of historical Russian support to these countries, which has strengthened the independence of their national decision, and provided them with greater benefits to support their interests, without being a victim of the monopoly of Western hegemony only.

As a result of the large number of successive crises that the Arab and African worlds are still facing, it was necessary for decision-makers in these countries to continuously search for new areas to enhance the international weight of these countries and find new outlets that support the economies of these countries by finding new partners who share the same hopes and pains.

Therefore, the arrival of Arab and African countries to more international partners, especially those who enjoy a large amount of common denominators in terms of cultural, religious and human similarity, makes the East Asia region, and Southeast Asian countries in particular, at the forefront of countries that should logically be among the first trading partners, in terms of trade exchange between them and those countries.

Thus, strengthening Arab and African participation in the Eastern Economic Forum will contribute to strengthening their presence in the international arena, especially in light of the current and future challenges and entitlements, especially in the economic field.

The Arab and African world… A pile of crises and the options available

The past decade and up to the present times have not been easy for most Arab and African countries, as the past years have witnessed crises and conflicts, most of which are still ongoing directly or their consequences are currently being dealt with.

From the so-called “Arab Spring”, and wars, conflicts and crises that it left behind to this day, to the ongoing crises in a large number of African countries that are witnessing domestic conflicts over power and confronting terrorism or armed opposition movements, without forgetting the period of the Covid pandemic that caused a lot of damage.

In a number of African Sahel countries, accumulations, problems, corruption, and the dependence of some of their governments on the West have pushed army officers to overthrow these governments and work to bring a qualitative change in their countries’ relations with the surrounding region, and with a number of Western countries, most of which enjoyed strong influence at various levels, as is the case with French influence in the African Sahel countries, which after a series of blows it received in the past few years, is now in a state of faltering and on the verge of taking its last breaths, despite its clinging to despair.

It was clear to the public that the majority of public opinion in these countries was on favor of overthrowing their corrupt governments that were beholden to the West was necessary, which was explained by the extent of popular support for the army’s movement in these countries, whose people suffered from the dominance of the colonizers in the past, followed by the influence of the colonial powers on their countries through continued interference in the internal affairs, and the practices of what is called “economic terrorism” represented in Western major corporations monopoly, theft of resources, and exploitation of the African peoples to be cheap labor.

Consequently, after the practices of the West, led these countries to live in conditions full of conflicts, ethnic wars, corruption of power and economic collapse accompanied by the lack of visions for a better future, all of these results prompted the peoples of these countries to seek immigration and asylum through legal and illegal means, as today we see the “humanitarian” practices of the European authorities with asylum seekers, dreaming of a better life, as a result of the Western policies that led to the economic collapse, corruption and lack of livelihoods in Africa and the Arab world, despite the fact that all of these countries are characterized as rich resources and the availability of a workforce that only needs a hand extended to provide support and assistance, not to continue the same traditional policies of plundering resources and dictating policies, and in the best of cases, turning these countries into victims at the mercy of the International Monetary Fund.

All these accumulations and difficult circumstances, logically, push those who suffer from to search for solutions, because as a result of all that has been mentioned, the economy and improving living conditions and circumstances will be a concern for the these countries governments, which want to ensure political stability, however, this desired political stability cannot be achieved without economic reform and improvement in living conditions.

Therefore, the search for friends and allies who share the same desires and ambitions was an urgent necessity, as it’s known that the countries of the South in general on this globe have always been victims of the countries of the North, which have practiced all forms of abuse against these countries for centuries.

Today, the Arab countries and the countries of the African continent are looking for opportunities for international presence and improve communication with other countries, in the hope that this will contribute to improving economic conditions and strengthening the position of these countries on the international scene by developing relations with a number of countries with which they share many common relations and interests.

International gatherings and forums are the solution

Increasing the participation of Arab and African countries in international gatherings, forums and events is one of the best opportunities to shorten the distance towards finding solutions to their problems and crises, especially in the economic aspect, the stability of which in these countries supports the stability of their political systems.

In light of the atmosphere witnessed by the world today, Asian countries, specifically developing East Asian countries, share many conditions with Arab and African countries, so it was useful for these countries to increase their participation in the East Economic Forum in the past eight years, one of these valuable opportunities that contributed to strengthening inter-relations and developing economic fields, whether among themselves or with the host country, Russia.

The strange coincidence, when observing with an analytical eye, we find a large number of common denominators that unite most of the countries of East and Southeast Asia with the countries of the Arab world and the African continent.

They share a great deal of similarity in cultural, religious and human patterns, and face the same forms of crises and problems, not to mention that these countries enjoy many natural resources that complement each other, and have enormous human potential and strength.

In addition, all of these countries were victims of the same Western colonialism and the same practices, especially on the economic level.

Therefore, the chances of all of these countries being within one meeting place in a city that is considered one of the most important economic cities in East Asia, such as Vladivostok is logical, because in addition to enjoying distinguished relations among them, most of these countries also have strategic and historical ties with Russia, some of which date back to the time of the Soviet Union, which was the sole supporter and backer of most of these countries in their struggles and their quest for liberation and independence of their national decision, and to maintain balanced policies even with Western countries, without compromise their values ​​and principles.

When we speak in general, someone will say that there must be an example to serve as a case study, and here the choice falls on an Arab country located in the African continent, which has enjoyed for years an important weight and position on the regional and international levels.

Anyone who looks at the circumstances of a country like Egypt today, the nation of long rich history, status and capabilities, and after years of instability, political failure and exposure to successive economic shocks, this historically respected country is now suffering under the burden of stifling economic conditions, which have led it to be at the mercy of the World Bank today.

The Egyptian public debt ratio currently exceeds the country’s gross domestic product by 105%, and therefore a country the size of Egypt, whose political compass requires it to maintain balanced relations between the West and the East for many reasons that there is no room to talk about now, wants its options to be open and have additional windows, perhaps to obtain solutions to its problems.

Therefore, its joining BRICS was a step in this direction, which must be followed by additional steps, by strengthening the presence in the East Asian region, since this region is considered the geographical depth of BRICS and the future increasing members, in addition to the fact that Egypt needs more allies and friends with whom it shares the same conditions and capabilities, as Egypt can find markets for its products and exports in the countries of East Asia, in addition to the fact that these countries can provide Egypt with what it needs of basic materials, especially food in the first place, as it’s one of the pillars of any nation independence.

The smell of crises is like the smell of blood… attracting sharks!

The difficult circumstances and crises that plague the countries of the South in a way, always push Western countries to intervene, and as usual, they put at the top of their list of justifications for their interventions the phrases “preserving peace” “achieving democracy or protecting it if it’s consistent with Western standards and the United States, of course” “protecting human rights” “fighting terrorism” etc… In the past, they had the excuse of “fighting communism” and other similar worn-out goods.

It’s no secret to anyone that, basically, most of these crises were caused by the West, and thus we are now watching the same play, the names and the geographical location changes in the scenario, but the methods remain the same, and even become uglier and more hideous, and unfortunately the victims are the peoples.

We’re not here to give history lessons, but we must say that Western Europe, after the Industrial Revolution, which contributed to their renaissance and the increase in their power and influence, as the huge economic development that occurred, driven by the Industrial Revolution and the Production Revolution, raised the standard of living of Western peoples.

However, given the fact that Western countries in general are scarce in resources, as what they have isn’t sufficient to maintain the same high standard of living and keep the wheel of production and industry running at its maximum capacity, this prompted those countries to search for new sources of resources to support their industry and economy, and they also needed new commercial markets, so that they could flood them with piles of goods they produced, as it had a large surplus.

The transformation of Western countries into imperialist countries, in order to obtain more resources, increase their influence in the world, and open new markets for their products, had its moral justifications in Western culture.

They didn’t say publicly that they were seeking influence, more resources, and opening markets, but their justifications were “civilizational and moral” nature from their prospective, of course.

Therefore, the justification for their transformation into expansion and imperialism was driven by slogans of transferring Western civilization to the “backward” peoples of the South and transforming them into “civilized” peoples!

Even some countries of the South, such as Japan, for example, were infected by the West, which destroyed its culture and historical heritage, and turned it into an imperialist state, because it adopted the Western model, but was shocked by the scarcity of its resources, so it too turned into an imperialist state armed with Western technology that it bought from Europe and the United States, and headed to attack its neighbors and commit the most heinous massacres against the peoples of neighboring countries, and plunder their wealth.

But ironically, this Japanese monster created by Western greed turned into a monster that attacked the West itself, when it felt that it had become strong enough to rule the world, so it attacked the United States, so that this tragedy would eventually end in a nuclear strike and then a complete cultural shift towards the West.

This is nothing but an example of what the Western machine can do, by turning precious metals into scrap.

The political, economic and social accumulations left by Western imperialism in the countries of the South, specifically the Arab countries and the countries of the African continent, are still the same at the forefront of instability causes and the continuation of crises in these countries, without there being any real solutions.

The West always evades responsibility for its actions, and only feels sorry when it comes to the Nazis crimes against the Jews!

It’s also unfortunate that we find some cases in some countries of the South that were victims of Western policies, as some of their ruling regimes ready to follow Western policies even if this conflicts with their national interests, and all this only in order for those corrupt cliques to maintain power.

What we are mentioning may be far from the subject, but we are well aware that politics cannot be separated from economics.

By asking a simple question: Can anyone provide us a program for his daily life and mention the challenges and responsibilities he faces and bears, which all has nothing to do with politics, neither closely nor remotely?

The answer is no… People’s lives are governed by politics, starting from the land they live on, passing through the bread they eat, and reaching every small and big thing in their daily lives.

Heading East is One Solution

Searching for solutions to crises requires keeping options open, and here pointing the compass east may be the beginning of the road to finding solutions to many of the intractable problems and crises that are plaguing the Arab world and the African continent.

At a time when the African and Asian countries share the same civilizational extension and enjoy rich resources, this necessitated increasing opportunities for communication within this environment, and by taking advantage of the distinguished relations that linked them with Russia, which is honored by its geographical location, cultural, and religious diversity, which made it the best model for communication with those countries and even transformed it into a bridge that brings together the countries of the Afro-Asian space, in the same natural geographical location that constitutes a natural extension of those countries and their interests, which contributes to enhancing the pursuit of stability and continuing joint work and cooperation towards sustainable development and political stability.

Although many Asian and African countries maintained a balance in relations with the West, they left themselves open to gain more benefit, so they exploited the strength of these countries’ relations with Russia.

In many cases, as we mentioned, most East Asian, Arab and African countries enjoyed old historical relations with the Soviet Union, so the Russian window was at the forefront of their options.

It was noticeable that there was a major shift in the orientations of a good number of African and Arab countries towards more cooperation and strengthening relationship with Russia.

The success of Russian foreign policies is attributed to its positive efforts towards restoring the momentum of the Soviet Union’s relations with a large list of countries in the world.

Here we are talking about the Asian and African continents, reaching Latin America.

Thus, the path has been paved towards more cooperation between Russia and these countries in all fields, with the economic challenges occupying the top of the priorities.

Multi-polar world Vs. Unipolar world

The quest to build a new global system is what Russia seeks today.

In this quest, Russia has joined forces with a number of important countries in the world, such as China, India, Brazil, and Arab and African, Asian countries, to build a new global system based on Multi-polarism, and capable of drawing more just political, economic and social rules than those that the globe has been suffering under since the end of the Cold War era.

The current international situation, with the rise of a large number of countries that were previously classified as developing countries, to reach the ranks of major countries, specifically in the economic field, where figures of BRICS member states, for example, have exceeded figures of the G7 countries, which naturally represent the Western camp, there is no longer the possibility of accepting a unipolar world, and economic and political laws that are basically built to be in line with the requirements of US interests and hegemony.

This reality is simply no longer acceptable today, and everyone has come to realize this, and this shows the beginning of a change in the direction of leadership in the world towards the countries of the East and developing countries.

The most important tools for political stability in countries are economic stability and wise policies towards achieving sustainable development that balances internal capabilities and external needs, without compromising sovereignty and independence of national decision-making, and without compromising values, traditions and religious beliefs.

Undoubtedly, the growing Russian presence in the international arena has provoked the ire of some Western powers, so these powers have tried, in various ways, to use a cheap method to attack the Russian role in the international arena.

For example, as a result of the increasing momentum of the Russian presence in Africa, some Western powers have accused Russia of seeking to plunder the wealth of African countries, while everyone knows that Russia possesses resources that exceed its needs, and the proof of that is its amazing ability to withstand the enormous amount of Western sanctions, as over the past two years, the Russian economy has continued to grow, despite sanctions and ongoing fighting.

The problem here is that when examining the Western narrative, and observing the behavior of Western countries towards Russia, since the end of the 90’s, we realize that Russia, with its capabilities and resources, is itself a victim of Western ambitions.

So how can we explain NATO’s continued expansion towards the East?

What is the justification, and why does Russia want war with the West, and what will it gain from that?

Russia has realized over the past two decades that the most important weapon to confront hostile policies towards it and towards many other countries such as China and the developing countries of the South in general, lies in searching for initiatives and establishing economic, political and regional alliances, through which Russia can strengthen its relations and gain more friends and allies, in addition to being itself a bridge for communication between these countries in a way that serves the interests of all.

The idea and purpose of the economic forums hosted by Russia are to create the nucleus of a new international community based on shared interests, independent decision-making and freedom from dependence on others.

The economy and efforts to achieve greater international stability remain a goal that shouldn’t be out of reach after all these efforts.