Conference on Arab-Balkan Relations, Doha, 2014

04 Dec Conference on Arab-Balkan Relations, Doha, 2014

Summary of the Conference
Forum for Arab and International Relations has organized two days conference from 18th to 19th of November, 2014 in the Cultural Village, Katara. The conference was solely devoted to the relations between Arab world, with special emphasis on the Gulf region, and the Balkan countries. The program of the conference included several aspects of the above relation, from historical and geo-political aspects to religio-cultural and economic aspects. Since both regions are well interconnected due to a number of significant factors such as religion, culture and to certain extent Arabic language and literature, besides their geographical positions that contribute to even closer relations between the two, the conference focused primarily to the historical review of Arab-Balkan relations, its present status and future expectation in all of the abovementioned aspects.
The first day of the conference was devoted to the long history of Arab-Balkan relations, focusing mostly on religion, culture and relations between Gulf countries and Balkan. As several states in Balkan region have become fully independent countries due to the political and economic collapse of the former Yugoslavia, the agenda was made to encompass bilateral relations between those newly established Balkan states and Arab world as well as their future collaborations and partnership. During the first day of the conference, a new book entitled “The Balkan from Orient to Orientalism (Orientology)”, composed in Arabic by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Arnaut, the Coordinator of the conference itself, has been launched.
The second day of the conference was divided into four sessions in the following order:
1. Arabic Language and Literature in the Balkans
2. Literature and Translation
3. Political and Economic Relations
4. Panel on Politics, Economy and the Media
Each of the given sections featured four speakers consisting of prominent scholars and experts from Arab and Balkan’s sides respectively. And as the titles reveal, a number of various issues concerning the relation between Arab world and the Balkans has been given a particular attentions by the participants. Among the participants who were invited to this significant event for both Arab and Balkan countries were the following personalities: Dr. Haris Silajdzic, former Prime Minister and President of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kamel Abu Jaber, Jordanian former Minister of Foreign Affairs,; Mustafa Albanian, former Mnister of Foreign Affairs and numerous scholars and experts in the abovementioned areas covered by this conference.
The representative of DICID, Nadia al-Ashqar and Senad Mrahorovic, have met on the sidelines of the conference with several of the participants and discussed possible engagement between them or their organizations with DICID.