The 8th Forum “Middle East in Quest for Security, Stability, and Economic Identity”

🎤 AGENDA as Draft

The 8th Forum
“Middle East in Quest for Security, Stability, and Economic Identity”

Annual International Conference (Hybrid Format)
Thursday, 07 July 2022
Venue: Marshal Garden Hotel, 5th Floor – Panoramic 1 Conference Hall, Calea Dorobanților 50B, Bucharest, Romania
Organizers:
➢ MEPEI (Middle East Political and Economic Institute), Romania;
➢ EuroDefense Romania.
Partners:
➢ AIES (Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy), Vienna, Austria;
➢ IPIS (Institute for Political and International Studies IPIS/MoFA, Iran);
➢ IFIMES (International Institute for the Middle East and Balkan Studies);
➢ Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Romania.
Media Partners:
➢ Modern Diplomacy (https://moderndiplomacy.eu/);
➢ Financial Intelligence (https://financialintelligence.ro/);
➢ Novus Ordo Media (https://novusordomedia.ro/).

Working language: English (no translation)

Time Zone: Bucharest

Participants: Representatives of Romanian institutions, think-tanks, representatives of the diplomatic corps (international and national), and mass media.
With the kind participation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Romania under the auspices of the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Romania and Iran.

AGENDA

08:30 – 09:30 Registration and Welcome Coffee

09:30 – 09:40 Official Opening
– Mr. Flavius CABA-MARIA (Romania), President of MEPEI
– Dr. Liviu MUREŞAN (Romania), President, EuroDefense Romania

09.40 – 10:20 Keynote Speeches
– HE Dr. Muhammad Hassan Shaykh al-ISLAMI (Iran), President of Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – online
– Prof. Adrian SEVERIN (Romania), Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
– Prof. Teodor MELEȘCANU (Romania), Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
– Prof. Anis H. BAJREKTAREVIC (Austria), International Institute for the Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES), IFIMES Permanent Representation to Austria and Vienna-based IOs
10:20 – 11:30 Session I: Regional context: smart soft and hard power – security strategies for the Middle East and North Africa region
Sub-topics: Contextual assessment of developments in the region; The main developments – from Afghanistan lessons to the current crises; The status of the current international security environment; The evaluation of Iran-Saudi Arabia relations; New ways, new bridges into the region; The principles of Collective Security System.
Moderator: Ms. Lily ONG (Singapore), Expert in International Relations, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the United States
Panelists:
– Prof. Kayhan BARZEGAR (Iran), Senior Academic Advisor at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Professor at the Islamic Azad University / Tehran
– Maj. Gen. Adel Mohamed Hassan ELDEIB (Egypt), Director, the Strategic Studies Center, Nasser High Military Academy, Cairo
– Dr. Nicola PEDDE (Italy), Director, Institute for Global Studies (IGS), Rome
– Dr. Amina KHAN (Pakistan), Director Centre for Afghanistan, Middle East & Africa, the Institute of Strategic Studies (ISSI), Islamabad
– Dr. Basam ABOABDOLAH (Syria), Professor of International Relations and Director of the Central School of the Ba’ath Party – On-line
– Prof. Zaker Hussain ERSHAD (Afghanistan), Avicenna University, Kabul
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee Break
12:00 – 13:00 Session II: Global context: power politics and the current conflict implications on the Middle East and North Africa region
Sub-topics: The impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the Middle East region; Great Powers Competition in the New Middle East; Timeframe for reconstructing the trust; New World Order or New World Disorder; Setting priorities for reconstruction; The JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) status.
Moderator: Ms. Lily ONG (Singapore), Expert in International Relations, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in the United States
Panelists:
– Ambassador Bilahari KAUSIKAN (Singapore), Chairman of the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore; Former Permanent Secretary at Singapore MFA; Former Singaporean Ambassador to Russia; Former Singaporean Ambassador to UN – online
– Prof. Davood KIANI (Iran), Professor on International Relations, the Islamic Azad University, Vice President at the Institute of Iran and Eurasia Studies (IRAS)
– Dr. Vasily KUZNETSOV (Russia), Head of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Head of the Department of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Oriental Faculty of the State Academic University for the Humanities – online
– Dr. Qin TIAN (China), Assistant Director of Institute of Middle East Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) – online
– Prof. Foad IZADI (Iran), Professor in International Relations, the University of Tehran
13:00 – 14:00 Session III: Regional integration of the Middle East and North Africa region
Sub-topics: Is it possible to set up a regional institution in the MENA region similar to EU/ASEAN, etc.?; Are the current structures/institutions/organizations adequate to the needs of the MENA region?; The assessment of the Gulf Cooperation Council format (strengths and weaknesses); Multilateralism versus bilateralism – cooperation in the development of political, security, and economic relations.
Moderator: Prof. Florin PĂSĂTOIU (Romania), Co-Founder and Director of the Center for Foreign Policy and Security Studies (CFPSS)
Panelists:
– HE Dr. Ali Beman Eghbali ZARCH (Iran), Director of Eurasia Study Group, Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS)
– Prof. Erzsebet N. ROZSA (Hungary), Advisor, Institute of World Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies and Professor, University of Public Service, Budapest
– Dr. Gohar ISKANDARYAN (Armenia), Head of Department of Iranian Studies and Leading Researcher, Institute of Oriental Studies, National Academy of Sciences, and Associate Professor at the Chair of Iranian Studies, Department of Oriental Studies, Yerevan State University
– Dr. Abdul Halim FADLALLAH (Lebanon), Chairman, the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation, Beirut
– Prof. Ecaterina MAȚOI (Romania/Switzerland), Program Director at MEPEI, Lecturer at the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Department of Basel University
– Dr. Șaban KARDAȘ (Türkiye), Associate Prof. Department of Political Science and International Relations, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara – online
14:00 – 15:00 Lunch offered by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Romania
15:00 – 16:20 Session IV: Asia’s Century Project and understanding of the Middle East’s potential
Sub-topics: the Asianization process of MENA countries; New challenges for EU positions in the MENA region; EU – ASEAN completion in the MENA region; the perspective of BRICS +.
Moderator: Dr. Liviu MUREŞAN (Romania), President, EuroDefense Romania
Panelists:
– Ambassador, Lt. Gen. (Ret), Cosmonaut Dumitru-Dorin PRUNARIU (Romania), Chair of the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities
– Dr. YAO JINXIANG (China), Assistant Research Fellow, Department for Developing Countries Studies, China Institute of International Studies (CIIS)/Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs – online
– HE Dr. Khalil SHIRGHOLAMI (Iran), Deputy Director General for Research, Institute for Political and International Studies (IPIS)
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– Dr. Pierre FOURNIÉ (France), Expert on Asia Affairs, Chair Suffren International Company, and member of think-tanks CIWORLWIDE, the Académie De L’intelligence Économique and Codata France
– Dr. Li ZIXIN (China), Assistant Research Fellow, Department for Developing Countries Studies, China Institute of International Studies (CIIS)/Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs – online
– Prof. Emerita Mariana NICOLAE (Romania), Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE)
16:20 – 17:30 Session V: MENA countries – economic and environmental perspectives
Sub-topics: What economic integration challenges are facing MENA countries?; The efficiency of the economic sanctions; Alternatives energy (gas and oil) resources for outside markets of the MENA regions; Food security; Threats and opportunities in the global financial system; US dollar versus the de-dollarization.
Moderator: Mr. Flavius CABA-MARIA (Romania), President of MEPEI
Panelists:
– Prof. Pouria ASKARY (Iran), Associate Professor of International Law, Allameh Tabatabaei University
– Prof. Rania ALZRAIR (Syria), Vice President of Administrative and Student Affairs and Dean of Faculty of Administrative Sciences, AL-Sham Private University
– Prof. Laura SAYAH (Lebanon), Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Beirut – on-line
– Prof. Mohsen ABDOLLAHI (Iran), Expert on International and Environmental Law, Shahid Beheshti University
– Prof. Marius NEACȘU (Romania), Chief of Department, Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE) – TBC
17:30 – 17:50 Coffee Break
17:50 – 18:50 Session VI: Future settlement of disputes in the MENA region: the voice of the young generation
Sub-topics: The track II diplomacy in the Middle East; The impact of proposed peace plans for the MENA region; Political solutions for addressing other long-lasting conflicts in the Middle East; A more prominent role of the youth in politics in the MENA region; Traditional political parties vs Internet activism in MENA; Means for cooperation EU-MENA, at the grassroots level; The clash of endogenous vs exogenous cultural values and principles.
Moderator: Dr. Alexandru GEORGESCU (Romania), Secretary-General, EuroDefense Romania
Panelists:
– Mr. Mahdi RAHIMI (Iran), Executive Director Assistant, Iranian Association of Diplomacy
– Ms. Lăcrămioara IVAZ (Romania/Sweden), Lund University
– Mr. Kais KAFRI (Syria), Member of the Scientific Research Council, Al-Sham Private University, National Union of Syrian Students
– Ms. Shanzay WASEEM (Pakistan/USA), Princeton University (New Jersey, USA)
– Mr. Vlad ADAMESCU (Romania/the United Kingdom), King’s College London
– Ms. Isabella ZAIDAN (Syria), Member of the Scientific Research Council, Al-Sham Private University, National Union of Syrian Students
18:50 Conclusion and Final Remarks
– Mr. Flavius CABA-MARIA (Romania), President of MEPEI, Romania
– Dr. Liviu MUREŞAN (Romania), President, EuroDefense Romania
Conference Rapporteurs:
Dr. Alexandru GEORGESCU (Romania), Secretary-General, EuroDefense Romania
Mr. Iulian MAREȘ (Romania), Strategic Analyst, MEPEI, Romania