Ural Expert Speaks About Russian-Arab Cooperation in the Digital Sphere

11:17, July 13, 2022

Oriental Studies scholar noted the contribution of the UrFU and information security development trends

Nowadays Arab countries are actively developing their own practices and methods of protecting national and regional digital space. Russia can and is already providing the Arab world with full assistance in this process, because the stabilization of the regional situation and the creation of a safe information environment in the Middle East in general meets Russian national interests. Gulnara Valiakhmetova, Head of the Department of Oriental Studies at the Ural Federal University, spoke about this and the digitalization trends in the Arab world at the round table devoted to the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the member states of the Arab League.

"Despite a relatively late start - with a gap of almost a decade compared to the developed world - the Arab countries have demonstrated explosive growth in the number of Internet users in the 21st century. In 2015, they exceeded the global figures, in 2019 they reached the mark of 63%, but still lag behind the developed countries with their indicator of 85%," explains Gulnara Valiakhmetova.

According to the orientalist, the monarchies around the Persian Gulf are in the leading position in terms of Internet users, where this figure has doubled over the past decade and now exceeds 95%, well ahead of the leaders of the developed world.

"Moreover, in 2020, the United Arab Emirates became the first and so far the only state in the world to reach the absolute figure of 100% and the share of mobile phone users is almost twice as high as in the USA. At the opposite pole are the least developed countries, politically unstable and plunged into internal conflicts, with Internet access from 2 to 30%," says the expert.

Over the past five years, the Arab world has strengthened its position in the Global Cybersecurity Index quite impressively, Valiakhmetova added. The most impressive results have Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which in 2020 entered the top 10 world leaders, literally leaping to the second and fifth lines, respectively, in the world rating of the most protected from cyber attacks. The regional top countries include the monarchies around the Persian Gulf, as well as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan.

The Ural Federal University also contributes to the development of Russian-Arab relations and the creation of a safe information environment in the countries of the League of Arab, adds the orientalist.

"UrFU traditionally teaches students and PhD students from Arab countries. For example, in 2022 we have 535 students in such programs as Informatics and Computing, Software Engineering, Radio Engineering, Robotics, Information Security, Media Communications, Public Relations, Organization and Management of Science-intensive Industries," says Gulnara Valiakhmetova.

It should be noted that during the discussion the experts also discussed the history of cooperation between Russia and the Arab countries, the current economic and geopolitical challenges, and the prospects for increasing cooperation.

Reference

A videoconference Moscow - Cairo - Abu Dhabi - Riyadh - Marseilles, entitled "Integration Processes: Russia - Arab League" took place on July 6. It was the final event in a series of videoconferences organized by Russia Today Media Group together with the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Foundation and the Center for the Implementation of Humanitarian and Educational Programs, an autonomous nonprofit organization.

The experts of the Center of Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Cairo University, the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, Emirates News Agency, RT television channel, Moscow State University, Center for Russian-Arab Studies and Information, KEDGE business school, ANO "Directorate of International Programs" and Primakov Center for Foreign Policy Cooperation participated in the final event devoted to the prospects of cooperation between Russia and the members of the Arab League.

The news article was translated by UrFU International Marketing Office
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