Gulf Asia Cooperation: Prospects, Challenges and Implications for Europe

Details

The past decade has witnessed a significant strengthening of ties between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and key Asian countries. This burgeoning relationship spans multiple dimensions - economic, political, and cultural - rooted in mutual interests and strategic priorities.

Concurrently, Europe has also cultivated deeper relations with Asia. The European Union (EU) maintains comprehensive partnerships with major Asian powers, particularly South Korea, India, and Japan. These relationships have taken on renewed significance in light of recent global developments: the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe's resulting energy crisis, the ongoing transformation of the global order, and escalating United States-China tensions. These factors have underscored the critical importance of enhanced EU-Asia collaboration, especially within the GCC region.

This discussion brings together experts who have examined these complex relationships through various lenses which will be put forth in a KAS publication.

Program

10:45 - 11:00 Arrival

11:00 – 11:15 Welcoming Remarks

Dr Hamad Ebrahim Al-Abdulla, Executive Director of DERASAT

Philipp Dienstbier, Director of the Regional Programme Gulf States, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)

11:15-12:15 Publication Discussion

Speakers:

Dr Shigeto Kondo, Senior Researcher at the JIME Center of the Institute of Energy Economics

Dr Omar Al Ubaidly, Director of Research, Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT)

Philipp Dienstbier, Director of the Regional Programme Gulf States, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)

Moderator

Marah Jamous, Project Manager at the Regional Programme Gulf States, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)

12:15-13:00 Lunch