20 October 2023 | Geopolitics

Med-Or attends the EU COP23 in Brussels

Med-Or Foundation held a panel at the fifth edition of the EU Cop23 in Brussels on “Gulf Approaches and Priorities to Mediation and Conflict Resolution” with EU Special Representative for the Gulf Luigi Di Maio and Diplomatic Academies and Institutes from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

On 18-19 October, the fifth edition of the EU Community of Practice on Peace and Mediation 2023 (EU Cop23) was held in Brussels. The EU Cop is organised by the European External Action Service – Peace, Partnership and Crisis Management Directorate (PCM) and the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI). Organised annually since 2019, the EU Community of Practice and Mediation (EU Cop) has become the flagship EU event that convenes international actors, policy makers, practitioners, experts and representatives of civil society in the field of peace mediation from around the globe. It allows discussions on mediation and peace process support and enables knowledge exchange and constructive reflections on challenges and best practices, feeding directly into EU policy and practice.

In the EU Cop23 edition, Med-Or Foundation held a panel on “Gulf Approaches and Priorities to Mediation and Conflict Resolution”, which saw the participation of Mr. Luigi Di Maio, EU Special Representative for the Gulf region, Dr. Mansour Almarzoqi, Director of Center for Strategic Studies, Prince Saud al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri, Deputy Director General, Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy of the United Arab Emirates, and Mrs. Anna-Maria Panagiotakopoulou, Head of Division for the Arabian Peninsula and Iraq in the EEAS. The panel was moderated by Umberto Tavolato, Med-Or Director of International Relations.

The panel’s discussion focused on EU-GCC prospect for cooperation on conflict resolution and approaches by Gulf countries to mediation and de-escalation in light of Gulf countries diplomatic and mediation role in the broader region. Discussions also touched upon the recent EU-GCC summit in October 2023 and the need to preserve the Gulf de-escalation and engagement diplomacy at a time of unfolding developments in Gaza.