AJCS to host web conference on conflict in eastern Mediterranean

17 September 2020
Print

Al Jazeera Centre for Studies in concert with Al Jazeera Mubasher, is organising a web conference to discuss the escalation of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and its regional and international implications on Tuesday and Wednesday, 23-24 September 2020. The conference will be held under the title, “Conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean: Reasons and Prospects,” and will include a group of researchers, academics and experts. It will be broadcast live on Al Jazeera Mubasher and live-streamed on AJCS’s digital platforms.

The web conference comes in the context of the escalating tensions between the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and disputes related to the discovery of gas in this vital part of the world.

Conference sessions are set to present the motives and reasons behind this conflict and shed light on its historical backgrounds, especially the hostility between Turkey and Greece, the division of Cyprus between them, and the role that played in aggravating disputes and making political solutions difficult.

Moreover, panellists will discuss the impact of crises occurring in other places, such as Libya, on the aggravation of conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, especially between Turkey on one hand and France and Egypt on the other. They will also assess the extent that the Egyptian-Greek and Turkish-Libyan agreements delineating their respective exclusive economic zones contributed to the exacerbation of conflict in the eastern Mediterranean.

The web conference will conclude its four sessions with a discussion about the crisis’s potential scenarios and the likelihood of a peaceful settlement versus armed confrontation between the countries of the region.

Day One Program
22 September 2020
16:00-17:30

Session One: Border Disputes and Unsettled Politics
Moderator: Mustafa Ashoor
Speakers:
1.    Basheer Nafi, Senior Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
2.    Kostas Ifantis, Professor of International Relations, University of Athens
3.    Süha Çubukçuoğlu, Advisory Board Member at Koç University Maritime Forum
17:30-18:00

Break
18:00-19:30

Second Session: Energy in the Eastern Mediterranean
Moderator: Mohamed Dahou

Speakers:
1.    Nicolas Sarkis, Lebanese energy expert
2.    Hatem Ghandir, Head of the Economy Desk at Al Jazeera and energy expert
3.    Steven Wright, Associate Professor at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad bin Khalifa University

Day Two Program
23 September 2020
16:00-17:30

Session Three : The Balances of Power between Conflicting Parties and their Strategies
Moderator: Mostafa Ashoor, Al Jazeera presenter

Speakers:
1.    Hossam Matar, Professor of European Studies
2.    Tarek Cherkaoui, Director of TRT World Research Centre
3.    Haoues Taguia,  Researcher at Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
17:30-18:00 Break
18:00-19:30

Session Four: Intensifying Conflict and Approaches to Cooperation
Moderator: Mohammed Dahou, Al Jazeera presenter

Speakers:
1.    Salah Salhi, Professor of Economic Sciences at the University Ferhat Abbas of Setif
2.    Mamdouh Salameh, international oil economist and visiting professor of energy economics at the ESCP Europe Business School in London.
3.    Roudi Baroudi, Qatar-based international expert in energy affairs
4.    Ahmet Uysal,  Director of the ORSAM Center for Middle Eastern Studies