Panelists for MERI Forum 2014 included a mix of opinion formers, policy makers, academics and business representatives.
Speakers and panelists included:
Fouad Masum, President of Iraq
President since July 2014. He was also the first Prime-Minister of Kurdistan 1992-1993
Salim al-Jubouri, Speaker of Parliament, Iraq
First elected to the Council of Representatives in 2005. He headed the Iraqi Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.
Osama al-Nujayfi , Vice-President, Iraq
Previously Speaker of the Council of Representatives from 2012-2014. He also served as Minister of Industry in the Iraq Transitional Government.
Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Prime-Minister since 2012. He also served as Prime-Minister from March 2006 – August 2009
Barham Salih, Former Prime Minister, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Prime-Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 2009 – 20112 and Deputy Prime-Minister from 2006 – 2009
Bayan Jabir Al-Zubaidi, Minister of Transport, Iraq
Previously the Minister of Finance and Minister of Interior of Iraq.
Ali Bapeer, Leader of Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal)
Formed Komal in 2002. Was previously a member of the political office of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan.
Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Ashty Hawrami, Minister of Natural Resources, KRG
Minister since 2006. Before joining the KRG cabinet, Dr Hawrami held several senior oil executive positions.
Gültan Kışanak, Co-Major of Diyarbakır, Turkey
Former Journalist an Co-Chair of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP)
Anwar Muslim, Premier of Kobani Canton, Syria
A senior Kurdish official and leader of the local government in Kobani.
Hassan Toran, Member of Parliament, Iraq
Head of the Turkmen Front Coalition in Kirkuk an former Chairman of the Kirkuk Provincial Council.
Mohammed Ishan, Assistant Professor
Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Defense Studies Department at Kings College London.
Tanya Gilli-Khailany, Vice President, SEED Foundation
Former Member of the Iraqi Parliament.
Mawan Ali, UNAMI
Director of Political Affairs for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq.
Jane Arraf, Journalist, Christian Science Monitor
Previously CNN’s Baghdad Bureau Chief and Council on Foreign Relations Edward R Murrow Press Fellow.
Rasheed Al Khayoun, Journalist, Iraq
Iraqi scholar and lecturer in Islamic Philosophy, Religion and History.
Cengiz Çandar, Journalist, Turkey
Former war correspondent and expert on the Middle East and Balkans.
Michael Werz, Centre for American Progress, USA
Senior Fellow at CAP where he is a member of the National Security Team.
David Pollock, Washington Institute, USA
Kaufman Fellow at The Washington Institute. Previously a Senior Advisor for the Broader Middle East at the State Department.
Gareth Stansfi eld, Exeter University, UK
Professor of Middle East Politics and the Al-Qasimi Chair of Arab Gulf Studies. He is also a Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI.
Galip Dalay, SETA, Turkey
Visiting Fellow at SWP and Researcher at SETA. He is also Book Review Editor of Insight Quarterly.
Saban Karadas, ORSAM, Turkey
President of ORSAM and faculty member in the Department of International Relations at TOBB University in Ankara.
Hiwa Osman, Former Media adviser to the President
CEO of Mediawan. Was previously the Iraq Country Director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)
Max Hoffman, Centre for American Progress
Policy Analyst on the National Security and International Policy team focusing of US Defence Policy, Turkey, and the Kurdish Regions.