Supervisor's review report
for the graduate qualification work of the four-year bachelor degree student Filipova Ksenia Sergeevna on the topic
"PROSPECTS FOR RUSSIAN-ISRAEL TRADE AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF SHIFTS IN WORLD POLITICS"

The graduate qualification work of Filipova Ksenia Sergeevna is devoted to the important and acquiring special significance relationship between Russia and Israel in the field of trade and economy against the backdrop of the world politics’ transformation, a change in the balance of power in the Middle East region and in the international arena.
The choice of the topic testifies not only to the understanding of the relevant for Russia issue of developing trade and economic relations with external actors in modern conditions, but also to the student's interest in studying all aspects of Russian-Israeli relations, which are being seriously tested.
Having outlined the dynamics and prospects for the development of Russian-Israeli trade and economic relations in the 21st century as the subject of the graduate qualification work, the author quite correctly outlined the range of tasks and formulated the main issues that should be considered in order to achieve the goal. This is a definition of the essence and features of trade and economic relations between Russia and Israel, taking into account the political factor; consideration of problem points at the present stage; analysis of the main directions, description of the prospects and conditions for interaction between Russia and Israel in the field of trade and economy; effectiveness’ assessment of the necessary changes proposed in the work.
Ksenia Filipova examined the trends in Russian-Israeli contacts from 1991 (since the resumption of diplomatic relations between the USSR/Russia and the State of Israel) to the present. The author determined that during this period, trade and economic relations have become one of the most important aspects in cooperation between the two countries, despite the fact that political instability in Israel, the coronavirus pandemic, and events in Ukraine as a whole have led to a slowdown in the growth of bilateral cooperation. It is noted that bilateral relations between Russia and Israel are characterized not only by interaction in the trade and economic sphere. Among other things, the presence of a significant Russian-speaking population in Israel and trusting relations between the leaders of both countries are indicated as a fundamental basis for multilateral partnership.
In the course of the work, regulatory and legal framework in the form of intergovernmental agreements and conventions is explored, as well as the intensity of bilateral contacts, including at the highest level.
The graduate qualification work identifies friction points in the sphere of Russian-Israeli trade and economic relations, which are not always caused by contradictions in politics and the actions of third forces.
Ksenia Filipova can be given a credit for a detailed analysis of the ways and prospects for the development of Russian-Israeli trade and economic relations based on extensive empirical material, including from foreign sources in English. The theoretical analysis is backed up by many graphs and tables confirming the author’s conclusions.
Aforesaid gives reason to evaluate the work as excellent.
 
Scientific Supervisor, Cand. Sc. (Political Science), Senior Lecturer at the Department of International Political Processes
Korochkina Victoria Anatolievna

May 30, 2023