THE future of the Middle East, regional stability and securing critical maritime chokepoints in the Arabian Gulf are among the key topics on the agenda of a major summit of world leaders to be held in Bahrain later this year.
The 20th International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue 2024 will be held from December 6 to 8 at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain.
The annual summit provides a platform for national security establishments and governmental delegations from across the globe to exchange views on regional security challenges.
The premier security summit has over the years helped Bahrain build up its soft power by inviting top government leaders to discuss key issues facing the region and elsewhere.
“Held annually since 2004 in Bahrain, the dialogue is a central element of the Middle East’s security architecture,” said the IISS on its website highlighting the upcoming summit.
“It enables national leaders, ministers and policymakers from the Middle East, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia to gather together to discuss the most pressing regional security issues and to share policy responses.”
The event kicks off on December 6 with bilateral meetings between ministers and officials, followed by an opening reception and a keynote address later in the day.
The following day world leaders and experts will take part in a number of plenary sessions on: Statecraft in a Multipolar World, An Agenda for the Future Middle East, Conditions for Regional Security, Prospects for Middle East Prosperity and Securing Maritime Chokepoints.
The last day features a ‘special address’ in the morning without mentioning details of the subject or speaker in the provisional agenda. This will be followed by sessions on ‘Arab Initiatives for Regional Peace’, ‘The Interplay of Global and Middle Eastern Security’ and ‘Whither Regional Strategic Co-operation’.
The GDN reported yesterday that Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani met IISS Middle East executive director Air Marshal (Retd) Martin Sampson as they discussed preparations for the summit.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister, was the keynote speaker at last year’s Manama Dialogue.
In his address, HRH Prince Salman called the Palestine-Israel conflict an ‘open wound in the Middle East for the past 80 years’ as he laid out ‘red lines’ that must be respected in order to find a viable two-state solution.
Furthermore, he said there must be no forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza while also stressing that there must be no terrorism directed from Gaza against Israel.
His Majesty King Hamad’s representative for humanitarian work and youth affairs and National Security Adviser Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa delivered a speech at the Manama Dialogue 2022 in which he highlighted that the kingdom was ready to play any role required in resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and do its part in promoting peace and coexistence.
Some of the big names to have appeared as speakers at the summit previously are former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and former British prime minister Boris Johnson in his capacity as foreign secretary in 2016.
sandy@gdnmedia.bh
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