Analysis: Russia works to restore its position as international player in the Middle East.

Russia has been relentlessly working to restore its position as a key player in Middle East politics, a new report said.

The Middle East occupies a central place in Russia’s foreign policy, the report by Asharq Al-Awsat revealed.

According to the analysis, it is widely believed that the Kremlin is seeking to fill up the vacuum left by the United States. The US is thought to be of focusing its attention on Southeast Asia to confront China.

“This has been clear through the relative chill in relations between GCC countries and Washington, and the emergence of the Greater Middle East project in the middle of the past decade,” it said.

Moreover, Moscow has succeeded in exploiting the prevailing conditions in the region, starting with the Arab Spring and its transformation into a violent scene in more than one country followed by the emergence of Daesh and leading up to the signing of the nuclear deal with Iran last year, to promote its policies.