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Programme

Programme (subject to amendment)

Day One
Tuesday 7 October 2025

Join the Conversation: Watch the Debate Livestream here

08:00 Registration
9:00     Welcome & Introduction
09:15     Framing the MERI Forum Debates 

  • Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of MERI

 Followed by:
S1: Between Multipolarity and Minipolarity: The Middle East’s Evolving Power Landscape

  • Randa Slim, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington
  • Alireza Ghezili, Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran
  • Abdulla Aljenaid, Columnist and Geopolitical Analyst, Bahrain
  • Narayanappa Janardhan, The Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi
  • Aniseh Tabrizi, Control Risks, United Arab Emirates (Moderator)

11:00   Coffee Break
11: 30  S2: Partners and Progress: Iraq’s Shared Responsibility with the International Community

  • Fawzi Hariri, President of Diwan, Kurdistan Region Presidency
  • Alicia Rico, Spanish Ambassador to Iraq
  • Klemens Semtner, Ambassador of the European Union to Iraq
  • Khogir Wirya, Senior Research Fellow, MERI (Moderator)

12:30   Panel Switch
12:40   S3: Iraq’s Energy and Economic Diplomacy: Regional Integration, Global Connectivity

  • Nikolay Mladenov, Director General of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy
  • Abdulla Al-Qadi, Director, Crescent Petroleum, UAE
  • Zmkan Saleem, Institute for Regional and International Studies, AUIS (Moderator)

13:30   Lunch Break
14:45   S4: The Challenge of State-Building amidst Complex Political Dynamics (A)

  • Haider Al-Abadi, Former Prime Minister of Iraq & Leader of Al-Nasr Alliance
  • Zainab Rabea, Al-Sharqiya News Anchor (Moderator)

15:15   Panel Switch
15:25   S5: The Challenge of State-Building amidst Complex Political Dynamics (B)

  • Muthanna Al-Samarrai, Leader of Iraqi Al-Azim Alliance, Iraq
  • Tariq Sarmami, Academic (Moderator)

15:55   Panel Switch
16:05   S6: The Challenge of State-Building amidst Complex Political Dynamics (C)

  • Ammar Al-Hakim, Leader of Al-Hikma Movement, Iraq
  • Fuad Ahmed, Head of Kurdistan Parliament Research Centre (Moderator)

16:35   Tea Break
17:00   S7: Ambition Meets Complexity: The Kurdistan Region in a Shifting Iraqi Landscape

  • Bafel Talabani, Leader, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
  • Randa Slim, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington

17:45   Final words
18:00   End of Day One

*    *   *    *   *

Day Two
Wednesday, 8 October 2025

08:00 Registration
9:00   Introduction to panels of Day Two

Followed by:
S8:  The Levant Beyond Conflict: Strategies for Recovery and Reintegration

  • Said Al-Masri, Arab Thought Forum, Jordan
  • Ammar Kahf, Director, Omran Center for Strategic Studies
  • Makram Ouaiss, Director, The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
  • Sherwan Yousif, Director, DeFacto Dialogue Platform, Syria
  • Edmund Ratka, Konrad Adenaur Stiftung (Moderator) 

10:45 Coffee Break
11:15   S9: Syria: In Search of Unity Amidst Fragmentation

  • Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Syria
  • Najib Ghadbian, Advisor to the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
  • Zozan Alloush, DeFacto Dialogue Platform, Syria
  • Patrick Haenni, Advisor, Humanitarian Dialogue Centre, Switzerland (Moderator)

 12:20   Panel Switch
12:30   S10: Iraq and the Kurdistan Region: Dual Fragilities, Shared Futures

  • Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
  • Torhan Mufti, Academic and Former Cabinet Minister, Iraq

 13:00 Lunch Break
14:15   S11: The Challenge of Being in Opposition in the Kurdistan Region (A)

  • Salahaddin Bahaddin, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU)
  • Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President, MERI (Moderator)

 14:45 Panel Switch
14:55   S12: The Challenge of Being in Opposition in the Kurdistan Region (B)

  • Mala Ali Bapeer, Leader of the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal)
  • Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President, MERI (Moderator)

 15:25   Panel Switch
15:35   S13: Peace in Türkiye: A Catalyst for Stability and Prosperity in the Levant and Iraq

  • Tülay Hatimoğlulları, Co-Chair, The People’s Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, Türkiye
  • Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President, MERI (Moderator)

 16:15   Break
16:45   S14: The Kurdistan Region’s Strategies amid Turbulent Regional and Global Dynamics

  • Nechirvan Barzani, President, Kurdistan Region of Iraq
  • Sarhang Hamasaeed, Dialogue and Peace-Building Expert (Moderator)

17:30 Final Words
18:00 End of MERI Forum 2025