ECONOMIC COOPERATION OF RUSSIA WITH ARAB COUNTRIES

The region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which unites nineteen Arab countries, is one of the most important areas of foreign economic and foreign policy activities of the Russian leadership. It has an advantageous geographical position and rich natural resources, especially oil and gas reserves. Here are the interests of the leading world powers and the main contradictions of modern international relations of economic, political and military character intersect. The Arab countries have been part of the national strategic interests of Russia for several decades now. They have significant economic potential and political weight in the Muslim world. Russia's cooperation with Arab countries is a multi - factor historical, economic and political process involving economic, socio-political, militarystrategic and social aspects. As the experience of the last fifteen years shows and through reports and reviews, economic cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries (following the internal political and economic transformations of Russia) began to develop in a new way. Since the mid-1990s, the principles and rules of interaction based on the laws of the market and economic expediency, and not only political and ideological attitudes that were previously dictated by the realities of the bipolar world and the cold war, have been built. Currently, the forms, trends and prospects of Russian-Arab economic cooperation are determined by considerations of economic benefit: large Russian public and private companies interested in the development of Arab markets.