Исламский вектор во внешней политике России

Abstract

The Islamic vector is a part of Russian foreign policies. Its importance should not be exaggerated, yet it may hardly be ignored. This vector is underpinned by Russia’s striving to establish close relations with the Muslim world and to emphasize the closeness of their interests, as well as to contain the Western domination in the global politics by means of cultivating and promoting common contribution of Russia and Muslim countries to the creation of a new world order based on the principle of multipolarity. The Russian official ideology emphasizes the similarity of traditions and civilizational identities of Russia and the Islamic Ummah. In 2015, Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Russia is a Muslim country. Undoubtedly, it may be considered a propagandist declaration, however it was highly appreciated in the Muslim world. This idea of closeness of Russia and the Islamic Ummah is supported by the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has stressed that the Russian Orthodoxy is more similar to the Islamic tradition than to the Western Christianity. Nonetheless, it is impossible to establish close relations with the Muslim world as different interests of dozens of Muslim countries have to be taken into consideration. Consequently, the Islamic vector in the foreign policy of Russia plays an instrumental role and is deeply linked to its pragmatic – political and economic – goals. The Ukrainian crisis and the deterioration of the Russian–Western relations stimulate Russia’s increased interest in deepening relations with Muslim countries. Yet, there are several obstacles on this path. The first consists in Russia’s inability to provide the much needed economic and financial assistance to Muslim countries on a regular basis and in the required amounts. Russia cannot compete with the Western economies, with which Muslim countries have established long-term relations. Another problem is the pressure that the West, and first and foremost the United States, exerts on the Muslim states in an attempt to make them join the anti-Russian sanctions. In some cases, these attempts may be fruitful, in others – they fail, but they continue, leaving a negative impact on the Russian relations with the Muslim world.