LONDON, November 2 (RIA Novosti) - RIA Novosti will relaunch the Moscow News paper in Arabic in the next few days after a 17-year break, the editor-in-chief of the Russian news agency said.

To begin with, MN in Arabic will be a monthly publication with a circulation of 150,000 copies in 15 Arab countries and Israel. If it proves a success, the paper could switch to weekly or even daily editions, Svetlana Mironyuk said on Sunday.

The move is part of a new strategy the Russian government has drafted to consolidate relations with the Arab world in all spheres, primarily in politics and the economy.

Russia's trade with the Arab world currently amounts to $10 billion. The strategy is aimed at expanding cooperation with all Arab nations, not just Russia's closest partners in the region, Syria and Algeria.

Investment, interbank cooperation, hi-tech and IT could be potential cooperation spheres between Russia and Arab states. Russia is ready to supply booster rockets for the launch of Arab satellites.

In an interview with the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, Mironyuk said Russia had long enjoyed friendly, mutually respectful relations with Arab countries.

"Today, Russia is regaining its place as a serious political player in the Middle East, fighting for the establishment of a lasting and just peace in the region," the RIA Novosti director said.

She explained the "fog" covering Russian-Arab relations came from the fact that Arab nations "have been feeding on what the West has printed about Russia."

She gave the Asharq Al-Awsat the first issue of MN in Arabic. The front page carries a message to readers from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.