August 9, 2023
“Middle East is the least economically integrated region in the world”, says US Expert
Islamabad: The recently concluded rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia was in line with their respective foreign policies’ ambitions and could uplift the economic potential of the Middle East. These remarks were presented by Mr. Alex Vatanka, the Founding Director of Iran Program at the Middle East Institute, Washington DC. He was addressing an international event hosted by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Islamabad. The event was conducted to analyze the post-rapprochement geopolitical proceedings of the Middle East and its impacts on the neighbourhood. Mr. Vatanka highlighted that Saudi Arabia had restructured its domestic social and economic policies. The


