This will be the first forum's meeting in the ministerial format in the last four years, with the previous session held in Moscow in April 2019. The plans for the meetings were adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October, during his meeting with League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Lavrov stressed the importance of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum as a mechanism of Russia-LAS interaction. The secretary general, for his part, expressed the desire to discuss bilateral cooperation between the Arab League and Russia.
The Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum was established in 2009 between Russia and the LAS. According to a memorandum signed in Cairo, the main goals of the forum are to continue efforts to establish and consolidate international peace and security, as well as to contribute to the development of economic, trade and financial cooperation, including the implementation of joint projects.
The first meeting of the forum at the ministerial level was held in Moscow in February 2013.