Dr. Christian Koch met with Andre Kahlmeyer, Senior Advisor for Security Sector Reform and Joachim von Bonin, Planning Officer for Prevention, Security and Peace, both of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). In addition to regional developments, they discussed GIZ projects in the region including in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Dr. Christian Koch met with Amb. Peter Zsoldos, Ambassador of the Slovak republic in Egypt with responsibility also for the UAE. They discussed current regional developments, GRC activities and building relations between the Gulf Research Center and Slovakian think tank and research institutions.
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch were interviewed by Christoph Dreyer, a German freelance journalist working for several publications in the German-speaking area. The interview touched on recent developments in the region including the impact of the turmoil in Egypt, the outlook for the GCC economies and the trends in the military and arms sales sector.
Mr. Hiroki Fujimori, Senior Economist at the Mitsui Global Strategic Studies Institute in Tokyo, Japan, and Mr. Eapen Koshy, Manager of the Corporate Administration Division of Mitsui & Co. Middle East Ltd. visited the Gulf Research Center where they met with Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch. They discussed developments in the region, the status of GCC-Japan relations and GRC activities including the upcoming Gulf Research Meeting in Cambridge in July 2011.
A delegation from the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss cooperation between the two centers. The delegation consisted of Ms. Nancy Jamal, Director – Programs and Global Communication and Mr. Yaqoob Al Hamad, Director of Human & Financial Resources. GRC was represented by Ms. Sanya Kapasi, Administration Manager, Mr. Javaid Iqbal, IT Director and Dr. Oskar Ziemelis, Director of Cooperation. A wide variety of cooperation issues were discussed, including the possibility of a Cooperation MoU.
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch met with Mr. Yutaka Kase, President and CEO of the Sojitz Cooperation in the GRC offices. Mr. Kase was accompanied by Mr. Shuhei Inoue, President and CEO for Middle East and Africa, Mr. Tomoyuki Hirose of the Sojitz Secretariat and Ms. Mayu Menjo, Senior Researcher and Project Coordinator in the Middle East and Africa office. They discussed the regional situation following the protest in Egypt, the prospects for business development throughout the Gulf region and the broader Middle East, and the Gulf-Africa relationship particularly as it related to concerns over food security.
