Dr. Christian Koch held the following meetings:
• Geradus Johannes Hoetjes of the University of Exeter, related to the prospects of GCC Monetary Union
• A delegation from South Africa including Daryl Hudson, Director, ITED in the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa; Mkhuthazi Steleki, Deputy Director, ITED; Kevin Oosthuizen, Counsellor (Deputy Head of Mission) South African Embassy; Maqbool Moos, Counsellor, South African Embassy; Daniel Jacobs, Consul, (Deputy Head of Mission) South African Consulate General; Simon Mmutle, Consul, South African Consulate General; and Shakira Motan, Consul (Economic) of South African Consulate General, Dubai. The talk focused on development in the region and their consequences.
• Martin Schneider, a doctoral candidate at the Leizig Graduate School of Management, concerning the development strategies of the GCC states and their outlook
• Dr. Valentina Kostadinova, a researcher at the University of Birmingham, UK on EU's relations with Saudi Arabia and the Arab Gulf.
Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, met today Mr. Steve Jones and Mr. Jack Stephens of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise organization during their visit to the UAE. They discussed the economic outlook for the region and the implications of the current political situation. New Zealand is in the process of opening their embassy in Abu Dhabi and expanding their overall presence in the country.
Dr. Mustafa Alani, Dr. Christian Koch and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis met with Michael Sturm, Principal Economist for EU Neighboring Regions at the European Central Bank and Gilles Noblet, Deputy Director General for International and European Relations also at the ECB, during a visit to the GRC. They discussed regional development and its impact on the macroeconomic stability and outlook for the Gulf.
Florian Weisweiler and Christian Koch met with the new Consul General of Switzerland in the UAE, Mr. Walter Deplazes, in the GRC office. In addition to covering regional development and its implications, the guest was informed about the activities of the GRC in particular with reference to the GRC Foundation in Geneva.
Mr. Fawzi Rihane, Program Manager for the Arab and Gulf Liaison Office of the International Fund for Agricultural Development from Rome, Italy, paid a visit to the GRC where he met with the GRC Chairman, Dr. Abdulaziz Sager and Dr. Christian Koch, Director for International Studies. During the meeting, they discussed possible cooperation with specific emphasis on food security and agricultural issues.
Amb. Fred Tanner, Director of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, visited the GRC to discuss current developments in the region and to outline some of the training courses the Geneva Center is running also with view of the participation of individuals from the GCC states. Amb. Tanner is a member of the GRC Foundation Council. He was accompanied by the Swiss Defence Attaché, Colonel GS André Schreier.
