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.
A delegation from the National Defense University of Jordan, headed by the University President visited the GRC for briefing on the regional developments.
Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch met with Fanus Schoeman, Consul-General of the Republic of South Africa in Dubai, to discuss developments in Lebanon, the impact of the events in Tunisia, the outcome of the Gulf-Africa Investment Forum organized by the Gulf Research Center in December 2010 in Riyadh, and the prospects for an event on South Africa-Gulf relations. Also present at the meeting was Simon Mmutle, Vice-Consul, Shakira Motan, Consul for Economic Affairs and Maqbool Moos, Counsellor at the Embassy of South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
Richard G. Newell, Administrator for the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), visited the Gulf Research Center to discuss development in the world energy markets and the respective policies of the Gulf states. He was accompanied by Michael Brake, an Industry Economist with the EIA and David Carbajal, Economic Officer with the US consulate in Dubai. At the GRC, the visitors met with Dr. Mustafa Alani and Dr. Christian Koch.
