Korea-Arab society (KAS) and the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy co-hosted the “Korea-Arab Future Cooperation Forum 2021” on 26 August (Thursday) in Seoul under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The forum provided incumbent and former high-level officials and scholars with an opportunity to exchange ideas, opinions, and expertise on future cooperation directions between the Republic of Korea and the Arab countries.

In addition, the forum was held under the theme of “A New Horizon for Korea-Arab Cooperation in the Post-COVID19 Era” and was consisted of three sessions named as; The Present and the Future of Korea-Arab Cooperation; Changes and Prospects of International Relations in the Middle East; and Upgrading Korea-Arab Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges. The main topics of discussion included renewable energy, food security, cultural exchange and cooperation, and situations in Afghanistan.

The “Korea-Arab Future Cooperation Forum 2021,” which was held both online and offline, successfully served as a venue for exchanging opinions of experts from different sectors who were specialized in the Arab region and ended with great success.

Korean speakers included; H.E. Mr. MA Young-Sam, Secretary-General of Korea-Arab Society; H.E. Mr. KOH Kyung-sok, Director-General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Mr. HONG Youngki, Former Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Kuwait; Dr. KIM Heungchong, President of KIEP; Dr. LEE Kwon Hyung, Head of the Middle East and Africa Team (KIEP); KANG Munsu, Research Fellow of the Middle East and Africa Team (KIEP); Dr. HAN Intaek, President of Jeju Peace Institute; Dr. JANG Ji-Hyang, Director of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies; Prof. SUNG Il Kwang and Prof. PARK Hyondo from the Sogang Euro-MENA Institute; and Prof. EUM Ikran from College of Liberal Arts, Dankook University.

Foreign speakers included; H.E. Mr. Bader AL-AWADI, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Republic of Korea and Dean of the Arab Diplomatic Corps; H.E. Dr. Hazem FAHMY, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Republic of Korea; Ms. Rehab ALMANSOORI, Counsellor of the United Arab Emirates Embassy in the Republic of Korea; Dr. Moamen GOUDA, Professor of Middle East Economics, HUFS GSIAS (Research Fellow, Institute of Middle East Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies); Dr. Shimaa HANAFY, Professor of Development Economics, Division of International Studies, HUFS; Dr. Sayed GHONEIM, Chairman of Institute for Global Security & Defense Affairs-Abu Dhabi; and Dr. Joseph A. KÉCHICHIAN, Senior Research Fellow of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

The forum can be viewed at the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGwAJmz_P7w