The Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat) hosted His Excellency Mr. Luigi Di Maio, the European Union Special Representative for the Gulf, at a roundtable attended by a number of the Center’s researchers. The event took place on the sidelines of the 22nd edition of the Manama Dialogue, the annual regional security summit.

Derasat CEO Mr. Abdulla Mohamed Alahmed welcomed His Excellency Mr. Luigi Di Maio, emphasizing the importance of such meetings in enabling the Center’s researchers to engage directly with international experts and broaden the scope of intellectual dialogue and research cooperation with European institutions.

The discussion addressed the role of think tanks in strengthening GCC–European dialogue, prospects for expanding engagement between research institutions and experts on both sides, and the importance of developing joint initiatives in knowledge and research to strengthen this engagement.

The Center’s researchers also discussed with His Excellency Mr. Luigi Di Maio ways to strengthen Gulf–European research ties and the role that think tanks can play in providing effective platforms for dialogue and knowledge exchange, and in opening up broader opportunities for engagement among researchers and specialists.