Ms. Wendy Luhabe, Chairman of the International Marketing Council and of the Industrial Development Corporation in South Africa and Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg, visited the GRC. As the GRC has just launched the GCC-Africa research program, opportunities for long-term cooperation were discussed particularly in regards to the Gulf-Africa Strategy Forum organized by the GRC in Cape Town on 24-25 February 2009.
Thomas Hazard, Director, national Capital region of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California along with Mr. Walter Christman, Liaison for the US Department of Defense to talk about collaboration between the GRC and the NPS
Dr. Adel M. Abdel Kader, Regional coordinator, Division of Early Warning and Assessment, UNEP- West Asia office, visited GRC to discuss possible cooperation in environmental activities especially the UNEP potential GEO Gulf Region Environmental Assessment research project.
A delegation from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) visited the Gulf Research Center on April 13, 2008. The delegation consisted of Cui Liru (President), Li Xin, (Deputy Director/ Department of International Exchanges), Dr. Yuan Peng, (Research Professor/ Director Institute of American Studies), Li Rong (Research Professor/ Director Institute of Asian and African Studies) and Tian Wenlin, PhD. (Associate Research Fellow).
The main theme of discussion was the current and future perspective of China-GCC relations with regards to oil supplies from the region and possible implications of China’s enhanced presence in the MENA region. The delegation recognized the “limited capabilities” of China’s engagement in the region and stressed the interdependence of its relations with the USA. Recognizing the complicated nature of China-USA relations in the past, the bilateral relationship was described to develop positively, particularly since 2001. CICIR’s representatives stressed the Chinese “model of mutual cooperation” in Middle Eastern Affairs and substantiated China’s role as a mutual benefactor, particularly in view of China’s engagement in Africa.
The Chinese delegation shared a keen interest on the future of the “Dubai Model”, the region’s nuclear future and on perspectives of renewable energy in the Gulf. A further aspect of the discussion was the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiation process between China and the GCC.
The fruitful exchange also envisaged enhanced cooperation between GRC and CICIR in the future.
His Excellency Sergey Krasnogor, Consul General of Russia in Dubai and Professor Vladimir Naumkin, Deputy Director of Moscow State University visited the GRC. They were briefed about relations between the GCC States and Russia, as well as the current situation of Gulf Security. They also discussed possible future cooperation between the two institutions.
Dr. Eckart Woertz, Program Manager Economics at GRC briefed a delegation of the Committee on Transport, Building and Urban Affairs of the German parliament about the GCC transport sector on March 27. The delegation was headed by the chairman of the Committee Dr. Klaus W. Lippold, Dieter Kaden, Chairman and CEO of the German Air Navigation Services was also present.
