12.12.2022

Anwar Gargash, asesor diplomático del presidente emiratí, celebra la aproximación regional de los socios comunitarios, pero advierte de que las relaciones “no deben ser transaccionales”

Emiratos Árabes Unidos quiere más. El país del Golfo, rico en reservas energéticas, exige a sus socios europeos la adopción de un nuevo enfoque de acción exterior a escala regional que trascienda el marco del comercio y los hidrocarburos. A Abu Dabi no le basta con exportar gas y petróleo como lo ha hecho hasta ahora, pretende que los miembros de la Unión Europea refuercen su compromiso en la región y extiendan el radio de colaboración bilateral hacia otro tipo de áreas, especialmente en materia de seguridad y defensa ante las amenazas recurrentes del vecino Irán.

“Lo que estamos escuchando, sobre todo de los alemanes y otros, acerca de volver a comprometerse con el Golfo, me alienta, pero advertiría que no debe ser transaccional”, expresó el diplomático Anwar Gargash, asesor del presidente de emiratí Mohamed bin Zayed, en referencia al reciente acuerdo energético firmado por Qatar y Alemania para suministrar hasta 2 millones de toneladas anuales de gas al país teutón para los próximos 15 años.

La nueva retórica de Berlín y el resto de capitales europeas “obedece en parte a intereses propios: tratar de encontrar nuevos proveedores de gas o de petróleo”, reconoció Gargash durante su intervención en la Conferencia Política Mundial de Abu Dabi. La claridad con la que se expresó el que fuera ministro para Asuntos del Consejo Nacional Federal emiratí le llevó a enviar un mensaje nítido a sus socios europeos: “Necesitamos ver acciones… tiene que ser a largo plazo y estratégico”.

La Unión Europea sigue buscando alternativas al gas ruso para afrontar el invierno con la mira puesta en sortear los cortes de electricidad y otras medidas drásticas de ahorro energético con las que está amenazando, por ejemplo, el Ejecutivo francés de Élisabeth Borne. En esta tesitura, países como Emiratos o Qatar han acabado canalizado el grueso de las demandas europeas para sustituir los hidrocarburos procedentes de Rusia, en otro tiempo asequibles y fáciles de importar.

La batería de sanciones occidentales, motivadas por la invasión rusa de Ucrania, y que desembocaron la semana pasada en el tope de precios al gas ruso suministrado por vía marítima, alteraron los mercados energéticos y empujaron a las delegaciones europeas a desfilar por Doha o Abu Dabi. El contexto empujó a las monarquías del Golfo a sacar el máximo partido posible. Por un lado, estrechando lazos con los socios comunitarios; por otro, cerrando filas con Rusia en el seno de la OPEP+ para aprobar, entre otras cuestiones, la reducción del volumen de producción en 2 millones de barriles diarios. Todo ello a pesar de las presiones occidentales.

[…]

Read the article on Atalayar entre dos orillas.

 

Publié le 10 janvier 2023 par François Nordmann

CHRONIQUE. La guerre en Ukraine prend toute la lumière, pourtant le Proche-Orient reste une cocotte-minute. Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU – avec la Suisse à bord – s’en préoccupe mais les signaux ne sont pas bons, analyse notre chroniqueur François Nordmann.

Thierry de Montbrial, président de la World Policy Conference récemment réunie à Abou Dhabi, interroge le prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saoud, ministre saoudien des Affaires étrangères: «Que pensez-vous des Accords d’Abraham?» Le ministre: «Quelle est la question? Peu importe d’ailleurs la question, ajoute-t-il. Je vais vous donner la réponse: c’est l’Etat palestinien.» S’il n’y a pas d’Etat palestinien, il sera difficile à l’Arabie saoudite de se joindre aux Emirats arabes unis et autres signataires desdits accords. Peu auparavant, M. Itamar Rabinovich, professeur d’université et ancien diplomate israélien, avait déclaré lors d’une table ronde que les Accords d’Abraham n’avaient eu qu’une portée limitée: ils ont donné lieu à des échanges économiques, mais n’ont pas structuré la politique régionale, contrairement à ce que prévoyaient ses promoteurs il y a deux ans. On pouvait alors considérer la situation avec un certain optimisme. Aujourd’hui, les perspectives sont plus sombres.

La guerre d’Ukraine domine la scène internationale ; la Turquie et l’Iran – partenaires plus ou moins liés à la Russie – s’impliquent comme jamais dans la politique régionale. Le centre de gravité de la région s’est déplacé de l’Egypte vers les Etats du Golfe. Enfin, la politique israélienne vit des temps troublés. La coalition dont faisait partie pour la première fois un parti arabe israélien a été remplacée par un gouvernement comportant l’extrême droite. C’est un développement négatif pour la société israélienne et pour les Palestiniens.

L’orateur exprime des doutes sur la durée de vie de ce nouveau gouvernement : il implosera sous l’effet des exigences des extrémistes, ou sera l’objet de protestations massives de l’opinion publique. Mais l’année qui s’ouvre sera difficile. Et il ne faut pas oublier que le premier ministre Netanyahou est poursuivi pour corruption et qu’il fera tout pour éviter la prison.

[…]

Read the article on Le Temps.

10.12.2022

The chief executive of Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala (MUBDEV.UL) said on Saturday that 2023 would be a tough year for the global economy, but that the fund would be focused on opportunities serving a longer horizon.

« If I look at the one-year horizon, yes 2023 is going to be tough… with more headwinds than tailwinds in most places around the world, » Khaldoon Al Mubarak told the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

« There’s going to be big adjustments on valuations, recessionary pressures in many places around the world… but I see it in the lens of opportunity » under a 5-10 year horizon, he added.

Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s second-biggest sovereign wealth fund, had $284 billion in assets under management at the end of last year, according to an investor presentation.

Mubarak said as a global investor, Mubadala would continue to follow an « agnostic » investment approach looking at growth patterns and long-term sustainable returns, and would continue to focus on sectors such as renewable energy and technology.

Read the article on Reuters.

11.12.2022

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbours would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons.

Indirect U.S.-Iranian talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between global powers and Iran, which Washington exited in 2018, stalled in September. The U.N. nuclear chief has voiced concern over a recent announcement by Tehran that it was boosting enrichment capacity.

« If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off, » Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said in an on-stage interview at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario.

« We are in a very dangerous space in the region…you can expect that regional states will certainly look towards how they can ensure their own security. »

The nuclear talks have stalled with Western powers accusing Iran of raising unreasonable demands, and focus shifting to the Russia-Ukraine war as well as domestic unrest in Iran over the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.

Read the article on Reuters.

11.12.2022

The United Arab Emirates has directed government entities such as the armed forces and hospital authorities to buy locally grown produce to support agri-tech efforts in the desert country, the minister of climate change and environment said on Sunday.

The UAE, which imports 90% of its food, took the decision at an annual government meeting last month to support local production while continuing to embrace open trade policy, Mariam Al Mheiri told the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

« We want to let the trade keep going, but where you have hands on your procurement and what you can buy, this is where you can encourage that a certain percentage of certain food items are bought locally, » she said, without providing details.

The Gulf Arab oil producer, which will host the COP28 climate conference next year, is making a big push on food security in the region and beyond.

At home, Mheiri noted that an Abu Dhabi accelerator programme has invested more than $150 million to attract agri-tech companies to operate in the UAE, which faces water scarcity and has little arable land.

Among initiatives is a vertical farm producing leafy greens under a joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering and U.S.-based Crop One. Vertical farming uses a series of stacked levels to produce crops.

The Emirati minister said berries, salmon and quinoa were also being farmed in the UAE, and that the country has ambitions to grow grains in closed-system farms where water is recycled.

Read the article on Reuters.

12.12.2022

Ministrul de externe al Arabiei Saudite a declarat duminică că vecinii arabi ai Iranului din Golf vor acționa pentru a-și consolida securitatea în cazul în care Teheranul ar obține arme nucleare, transmite agenția Reuters.

Discuțiile indirecte americano-iraniene pentru salvarea pactului nuclear din 2015 dintre puterile globale și Iran, din care Washingtonul a ieșit în 2018, s-au blocat în septembrie. Șeful ONU pentru probleme nucleare și-a exprimat îngrijorarea cu privire la un anunț recent al Teheranului potrivit căruia își sporește capacitatea de îmbogățire a uraniului.

« Dacă Iranul obține o armă nucleară operațională, situația este imprevizibilă », a declarat prințul Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud într-un interviu acordat pe scenă la World Policy Conference din Abu Dhabi, când a fost întrebat despre un astfel de scenariu.

« Ne aflăm într-un spațiu foarte periculos în regiune… vă puteți aștepta ca statele regionale să se uite cu siguranță la modul în care își pot asigura propria securitate. »

Negocierile nucleare au intrat în impas, puterile occidentale acuzând Iranul că a ridicat cereri nerezonabile, iar atenția s-a mutat pe războiul dintre Rusia și Ucraina, precum și pe tulburările interne din Iran din cauza morții în custodie a lui Mahsa Amini, în vârstă de 22 de ani.

Deși Riadul a rămas « sceptic » cu privire la acordul nuclear iranian, prințul Faisal a declarat că susține eforturile de a revigora pactul « cu condiția ca acesta să fie un punct de plecare, nu un punct final » pentru un acord mai puternic cu Teheranul.

Statele arabe din Golf, guvernate de sunniți, au făcut presiuni pentru un acord mai puternic care să abordeze preocupările lor cu privire la programul de rachete și drone al Iranului șiit și aliații săi regionali.

« Semnele din acest moment nu sunt foarte pozitive, din păcate », a declarat prințul Faisal.

« Auzim de la iranieni că nu sunt interesați de un program de arme nucleare, ar fi foarte reconfortant să putem crede asta. Avem nevoie de mai multe asigurări la acest nivel ».

Iranul afirmă că tehnologia sa nucleară este destinată exclusiv unor scopuri civile.

Un oficial de rang înalt din Emiratele Arabe Unite a declarat sâmbătă că există o oportunitate de a revizui « întregul concept » al pactului nuclear, având în vedere că în prezent armele Teheranului sunt în centrul atenției, statele occidentale acuzând Rusia că a folosit drone iraniene pentru a ataca obiective din Ucraina. Iranul și Rusia neagă acuzațiile.

Read the article on Stiripesurse.

12.12.2022

Szef dyplomacji Arabii Saudyjskiej książę Faisal bin Farhan oświadczył w niedzielę, że jeśli Iran uzyska broń nuklearną, « może zdarzyć się wszystko » – podała agencja Reutera. W listopadzie Międzynarodowa Agencja Energii Atomowej potwierdziła, że Iran rozpoczął wzbogacanie uranu do 60 procent. Teheran utrudnia też inspekcje swych instalacji nuklearnych.

– Wszyscy znajdujemy się w niebezpiecznej sytuacji w naszym regionie (…). Można oczekiwać, że państwa regionu zaczną szukać sposobu na zapewnienie sobie bezpieczeństwa – oznajmił Faisal, odnosząc się do krajów Zatoki Perskiej, podczas konferencji World Policy Conference w stolicy Zjednoczonych Emiratów Arabskich, Abu Zabi.

Rozmowy między zachodnimi mocarstwami a Teheranem dotyczące odnowienia porozumienia nuklearnego z 2015 roku utknęły we wrześniu w martwym punkcie. Umowa ta gwarantowała Iranowi zniesienie sankcji w zamian za ograniczenie jego programu nuklearnego, w tym niewzbogacanie uranu do poziomu wyższego niż 3,67 proc. W 2018 roku ówczesny prezydent USA Donald Trump wycofał Stany Zjednoczone z tego porozumienia.

W listopadzie Międzynarodowa Agencja Energii Atomowej (MAEA) potwierdziła, że Iran rozpoczął wzbogacanie uranu do 60 proc. Teheran utrudnia też inspekcje swych instalacji nuklearnych.

[…]

Read the article on tvn24.

16.12.2022

Il patriarca ecumenico di Costantinopoli in un raro intervento denuncia il « panslavismo » russo e l’aura religiosa che Mosca, con l’appoggio del Patriarcato, ha conferito alla guerra contro Kiev.

Il patriarca ecumenico di Costantinopoli, Bartolomeo I (Archontonis), è intervenuto il 9 dicembre scorso ad Abu Dhabi, durante la 15ma edizione della World Policy Conference, organizzata dall’Institut français des relationes internationales (Ifri), che ha visto la partecipazione di molte alte personalità della politica, del mondo diplomatico e della cultura. Per l’occasione il “primus inter pares” dell’Ortodossia mondiale ha proposto un’interpretazione delle relazioni con la Chiesa patriarcale di Mosca, che segnano con profonde motivazioni religiose il conflitto in atto in Ucraina, come riportato da AsiaNews il 14 dicembre.

La condanna dell’invasione dell’Ucraina

Bartolomeo aveva condannato l’invasione russa subito dopo il suo inizio, lo scorso 24 febbraio, rivolgendosi al capo della Chiesa autocefala di Kiev, il metropolita Epifanij (Dumenko), che egli stesso aveva riconosciuto ufficialmente con il tomos di autocefalia il 6 gennaio del 2018. Confessando il suo sgomento per l’aggressione delle forze armate moscovite, il patriarca aveva poi emesso un comunicato dalla sua sede del Fanar di Istanbul, esprimendo il suo «profondo dolore per questo atto di palese violazione di qualsiasi legittimità internazionale» e il suo sostegno al popolo ucraino, «che sta lottando per l’integrità della propria patria».

Proprio la scelta di benedire l’autonomia della Chiesa ucraina aveva suscitato le ire di Mosca, costituendo una delle principali motivazioni ideali del conflitto. Bartolomeo aveva ricevuto la visita del patriarca russo Kirill (Gundjaev) ad agosto del 2017, e il colloquio non aveva sortito l’effetto sperato di una riconciliazione in merito alla questione ucraina, che si trascinava da molto tempo. Non a caso, nell’ultimo intervento il patriarca di Costantinopoli ha fatto riferimento all’ideologia medievale della “Terza Roma”, da cui ebbe origine il conflitto tra le due anime dell’Ortodossia, quella “ecumenica” e quella “militante”.

La “seconda” e la “terza Roma”

Fu proprio un predecessore di Bartolomeo, il patriarca Ieremias II di Costantinopoli, che nel 1589 fu costretto a concedere l’istituzione a Mosca di un nuovo patriarcato, dopo essere stato tenuto agli “arresti domiciliari” nel fasto dei palazzi del Cremlino per diversi mesi dall’allora reggente del regno di Mosca, Boris Godunov, in seguito nominato zar anche grazie a quell’iniziativa di “imperialismo ecclesiastico”. Nel documento fatto firmare a Ieremias si proclamava appunto la missione di Mosca in quanto “terza Roma” e unico regno ortodosso non sottomesso alla dominazione degli “agareni”, i musulmani dell’Impero ottomano che avevano conquistato la “seconda Roma” di Costantinopoli oltre un secolo prima.

Si trattava in quel caso di uno strappo evidente alle regole antiche dell’Ortodossia universale, che riservava il titolo di “patriarca” ai capi delle Chiese apostoliche originarie come Gerusalemme, Antiochia e Alessandria d’Egitto, che insieme alla prima Roma di san Pietro, e alla seconda Roma sul Bosforo, evangelizzata dal fratello sant’Andrea, costituivano la “pentarchia” ortodossa.

Le divisioni dell’Ortodossia

Non era mai stata attribuita una dignità “universale” a una Chiesa etnica e la svolta di Mosca ha poi aperto la strada alla suddivisione dei patriarcati nazionali autocefali, realizzati nell’Ottocento con la disgregazione dell’Impero ottomano. Lo stesso Ieremias, liberato da Godunov, sulla strada del ritorno in patria si fermò presso i russi del regno di Polonia, per incitarli a costituire a propria volta un patriarcato di Kiev, in modo da bilanciare le pretese moscovite, riportando l’ordine storico della prima “Chiesa-madre” sempre rimasta sotto il controllo di Costantinopoli, dopo il Battesimo del principe Vladimir di Kiev nel 988.

Il regno di Polonia-Lituania era però rivolto a Occidente e al papa di Roma, e grazie soprattutto all’influenza dei gesuiti, da poco costituiti e rappresentati da uno dei suoi più autorevoli esponenti, il polacco padre Petr Skarga, invece di un nuovo patriarcato fu decisa l’Unione con Roma, sancita nel concilio di Brest-Litovsk del 1596, come vera risposta a Mosca in un’altra “faccia della medaglia”: non la terza Roma, ma il ritorno alla prima. Questo evento può essere considerato come il vero atto di fondazione di quella che in seguito sarebbe stata chiamata Ucraina, nome che indica le “terre di confine” dei cosacchi e dei russi che non volevano più stare sotto il re di Polonia, illudendosi di trovare maggiore libertà sotto lo zar di Mosca.

[…]

By Stefano Caprio.

Read the article on Tempi.

16.12.2022

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew calls out Moscow Patriarch Kirill’s support of Putin’s world vision.

The ideology known as the “Russian World,” embraced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch of Moscow Kirill, is driving a wedge between the Orthodox Christian world, said Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I – a wedge that has serious consequences for Church and society globally.

Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, criticized the president of Russia and the Patriarch of Moscow during a speech at an international meeting dealing with policy issues. The meeting, hosted by the “World Policy Conference – For a Reasonably Open World,” took place in Abu Dhabi.

Patriarch Bartholomew, who holds a place of honor among the world’s Orthodox primates, called Putin’s war in Ukraine an “unjust aggression” which “constitutes the worst European geopolitical and humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War.”

His speech last week took aim at the ideology known as the Russian World, or Russkiy Mir, which, according to a declaration drafted by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University, states that there is a “transnational Russian sphere or civilization, called Holy Russia or ‘Holy Rus,’ which includes Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (and sometimes Moldova and Kazakhstan), as well as ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people throughout the world. It holds that this ‘Russian world’ has a common political center (Moscow), a common spiritual center (Kyiv as the ‘mother of all Rus’), a common language (Russian), a common Church (the Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate), and a common patriarch (the Patriarch of Moscow), who works in ‘symphony’ with a common president/national leader (Putin) to govern this Russian world, as well as upholding a common distinctive spirituality, morality, and culture.”

Not the first time

But the ideology is not the first time Russian thought has presented problems, Bartholomew said. Even in the 19th century, Moscow instrumentalized religion and developed an “ideology of Pan-Slavism” as an organ of Russian foreign policy. That ideology acquired a religious component, he said.

“This is the idea that churches should organize themselves according to the principle of ethnicity, the central marker of which would be language,” the Ecumenical Patriarch said. “It is this approach that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople denounced in 1872 as heresy (the heresy of ethnophyletism, a form of ecclesial racism). It is in flagrant contradiction with the universalism of the Gospel message, as well as the principle of territorial governance which defines the organization of our Church.”

However, this “heresy” was useful to Moscow’s objectives since it distanced Slavic-speaking believers from the influence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, said Bartholomew. “The aim of this strategy was to create, within the Ottoman Empire, and later in the form of an independent state, a separate political force, at the service of the Russian thrust towards the warm seas,” he said, in an apparent reference to campaigns under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great to expand Russia to the Black Sea.

[…]

By John Burger.

Read the article on Aleteia.

By Reuters

Published: 12 Dec 2022

Public sector bodies such as the military and hospitals in the UAE are being encouraged to buy locally-grown food.

Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE minister of climate change and environment, said a decision had been taken to support local production while embracing an open trade policy, according to Reuters.

Speaking at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi, Al Mheiri said: “We want to let the trade keep going, but where you have hands on your procurement and what you can buy, this is where you can encourage that a certain percentage of certain food items are bought locally.”

She said more than $150m had been invested to attract agri-tech companies to operate in the UAE, which imports 85% of the food it consumes, according to a report by the Australian government.

Last week Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said it had struck deals worth more than $272m to obtain catering services over the next five years, with contractors encouraged to source locally.

In July what was claimed to be the world’s largest vertical farm opened in Dubai with a capacity to produce 1m kg of fresh produce each year.

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de Supply Management.

14.12.2022

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made a resounding condemnation of the war in Ukraine in his speech at the opening of the International Conference “World Policy Conference – For a Reasonably Open World”, which was being held in Abu Dhabi the previous days, Bartholomew underlined that the ongoing war has led to the death of thousands of people, Ukrainians and Russians, while the destruction of infrastructure on the territory of Ukraine is incalculable.

The Ecumenical Patriarch, in his extensive speech, before representatives from all over the world, referred to the historical spiritual ties of the Kievan Rus with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, from which they received baptism into Christianity, in the 10th century, and the Russian attempts to undermine the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and its role in the Orthodox world, after the Fall of Constantinople, and especially from the 19th century, when in combination with the doctrine of pan-Slavism, Moscow instrumentalized the religious sentiment to achieve political and military purposes alien to it.

This attitude, which aimed at the removal of the Slavonic believers from their Mother Church and the promotion of Moscow as the “Third Rome”, led the Ecumenical Patriarchate to condemn it, in 1872, as a heresy, the heresy of ethno-phyletism, which comes in flagrant contradiction with the universalism of the Gospel message, aw well as but also to the ancient tradition of organization and administration of our Church.

This heresy of ethno-phyletism, with its vehicle of Pan-Slavism and the division of the Patriarchate’s flock, was useful for Moscow’s goals and the cause of the hatred among the Orthodox Christians of the Balkans, manifested during the Balkan wars and the atrocities that occurred in the early 20th century.

In his speech, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the marginalization of religion during the period of the Soviet Union, and its re-instrumentalization in the years that followed its fall. As he said, the Russian Orthodox Church has sided with Vladimir Putin, especially after the election of Patriarch Kiril, in 2009.

“He is actively involved in promoting the ideology of Rousskii Mir, the Russian World, according to which language and religion make it possible to define a coherent whole that will include Russia, Ukraine, Belarus as well as the other territories of the former Soviet Union and the diaspora.

Moscow (both political and religious power) would be the center of this world, whose mission would be to combat the decadent values of the West. This ideology is an instrument of legitimization of Russian expansionism and the basis of its Eurasian strategy.

The connection with the past of ethno-plyletism and the present of the Russian World is obvious. Faith thus becomes the backbone of the ideology of the Putin regime.”

[…]

Read the article on OrthodoxTimes.

By Reuters

Published: 12 Dec 2022

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Sunday that Iran’s Gulf neighbours would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons.

Indirect US-Iranian talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear pact between global powers and Iran, which Washington exited in 2018, stalled in September. The UN nuclear chief has voiced concern over a recent announcement by Tehran that it was boosting enrichment capacity.

« If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off, » Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said in an on-stage interview at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi when asked about such a scenario.

« We are in a very dangerous space in the region…you can expect that regional states will certainly look towards how they can ensure their own security. »

Though Riyadh remained « sceptical » about the Iran nuclear deal, Prince Faisal said it supported efforts to revive the pact « on condition that it be a starting point, not an end point » for a stronger deal with Tehran.

« The signs right now are not very positive unfortunately, » he said.

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de Khaleej Times.

By Reuters

Published: Sat 10 Dec 2022

The chief executive of Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala said on Saturday that 2023 would be a tough year for the global economy, but that the fund would be focused on opportunities serving a longer horizon.

« If I look at the one-year horizon, yes 2023 is going to be tough… with more headwinds than tailwinds in most places around the world, » Khaldoon Al Mubarak told the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

« There’s going to be big adjustments on valuations, recessionary pressures in many places around the world… but I see it in the lens of opportunity » under a 5-10 year horizon, he added.

Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s second-biggest sovereign wealth fund, had $284 billion in assets under management at the end of last year, according to an investor presentation.

Mubarak said as a global investor, Mubadala would continue to follow an « agnostic » investment approach looking at growth patterns and long-term sustainable returns, and would continue to focus on sectors such as renewable energy and technology.

While Europe presented a « challenging picture », he said India — with its huge population, growing middle class and economic trajectory — was « a picture where you see growth ».

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de Khaleej Times.

12.12.2022

Στο Αμπού Ντάμπι βρέθηκε ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίος στο πλαίσιο του Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου “World Policy Conference – For a Reasonably Open World”. Κατά την παραμονή του στα Ηνωμένα Αραβικά Εμιράτα ο Παναγιώτατος είχε σειρά επαφών.

Επίσης, Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης κ.κ. Βαρθολομαίος κατά την επίσκεψή του στο Αμπού Ντάμπι επισκέφθηκε την Ελληνική Πρεσβεία και ευλόγησε το δείπνο που παρετέθη προς τιμήν του στην Πρεσβευτική κατοικία.

Κατά την ομιλία του στην έναρξη του συνεδρίου, το οποίο ολοκληρώθηκε χθες με την εισήγηση του του Υπουργού Εξωτερικών της Σαουδικής Αραβίας, Α.Υ. Πρίγκηπος Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης προχώρησε σε νέα ηχηρή καταδίκη του πολέμου στην Ουκρανία.

[…]

Read the article on Orthodoxi a news agency.

Dec 11, 2022

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has said Iran’s ongoing nuclear research had created a “very dangerous” situation in the region. He made the remarks at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

International efforts led by the US, EU, Russia and China to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran — which would see UN inspectors monitor Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for relaxing trade sanctions — have largely broken down.

« If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off, » Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in an on-stage interview.

« We are in a very dangerous space in the region…you can expect that regional states will certainly look towards how they can ensure their own security. »

Prince Faisal said the kingdom might still be open to an agreement with Iran, « on condition that it be a starting point, not an end point » for a stronger deal with Tehran.

« We hear from the Iranians that they have no interest in a nuclear weapons programme, it would be very comforting to be able to believe that. We need more assurance on that level, » he said.

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de The National.

Nick Webster

Dec 10, 2022

A political solution is required to restore peace in Ukraine, Dr Anwar Gargash has told the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

Political leaders and analysts have met for the three-day forum to discuss international issues and promote a fairer, more prosperous world.

Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is estimated to have caused more than 200,000 deaths, with both countries suffering severe economic damage — and the rest of the world has felt the fallout.

Dr Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, said talks were the only way to restore peace and begin the global economic recovery.

« This Ukraine war has been an earthquake in international politics,” he said.

“Our position on Ukraine is clear. It is too simplistic to say we are neutral on Ukraine. The UAE is not neutral.

“The UAE is affected by the crisis and it is trying to find the right balance between our principles of security, stability and prosperity, and the necessity to find a political solution to the war.

“We do not think the crisis can be resolved militarily. We have seen this in World War One with the Versailles Treaty, when a country is defeated but rises again to change the international order.

“From this perspective, it is necessary to find a solution to the war in Ukraine.”

Dr Gargash said evolving threats to stability and security in the region changed the way the UAE viewed its strategic allies, with diplomacy a more important tool in maintaining peace than ever before.

Drone attacks on the UAE and Saudi Arabia, along with emerging threats to cyber security, have presented major challenges.

“The world today is more dangerous and more complicated. We are less assured of stability,” said Dr Gargash.

“We have always had a US support for security in the region, but is that going to be assured for the next 30 years?

“That is one of the big challenges. The region is more concerned of specific threats now.

“I don’t see a scenario like what happened with Kuwait, but more specific threats like terrorism, Afghanistan and Yemen, as well as cyber warfare, drones and missiles.”

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de The National.

14.12.2022

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew blasted what he called the “pan-Slavism” of the Russian Church under the leadership of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in a wide-ranging speech last week in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at the “World Policy Conference – For a Reasonably Open World”, Bartholomew condemned the support the Russian Orthodox Church offers to President Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.

The Ecumenical Patriarch criticized the role of the Russian Church over the last centuries and especially from the 19th century onwards when “in combination with the doctrine of pan-Slavism, it instrumentalized religious sentiment to achieve political and military purposes alien to the Church.”

Russia wanted to submit the church to its will in its effort to instrumentalize the religious feeling for its political and military ends, he said.

“From the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, Moscow aspired to replace the Ecumenical Patriarchate by proclaiming that Moscow represented ‘the third Rome’. This long-lasting policy of Moscow constitutes a fundamental factor of the division of the Orthodox world,” Bartholomew opined.

Bartholomew: Russian Church instrumentalizes religion

From the 19th century, Moscow instrumentalized religion he added. “Inspired by Pan-Germanism, the new ideology of Pan-Slavism, an organ of Russian foreign policy, acquired a religious component. This is the idea that churches should organize themselves according to the principle of ethnicity, the central marker of which would be language.

“It is this approach that the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople denounced in 1872 as heresy (the heresy of ethnophyletism, a form of ecclesial racism). It is in flagrant contradiction with the universalism of the Gospel message, as well as the principle of territorial governance which defines the organization of our church,” Bartholomew said.

He stressed that following the collapse of Communism, Russia used religion again for ideological purposes. The Russian Orthodox Church has sided with the regime of President Vladimir Putin, especially since the election of Patriarch Kirill in 2009.

“It actively participates in the promotion of the ideology of Rousskii Mir, of the Russian world, according to which language and religion make it possible to define a coherent whole encompassing Russia, Ukraine, Belarus as well as the other territories of the former Soviet Union and the diaspora.

[…]

By Tasos Kokkinidis.

Read the article on Greek Reporter.

Nick Webster

Dec 11, 2022

Dmytro Kuleba says a strategic victory in the war involves the entire international community

Russian forces in Ukraine will struggle to fight in the winter because they have been poorly equipped and ill-treated, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister told the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi.

Plunging temperatures and heavy snow have created new challenges in the invasion that began in February, with many towns and cities across Ukraine left without power due to Russian bombing raids.

Addressing the conference from Kyiv by video link, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, whose home has been among those without power, said more than half of Ukraine’s power generation facilities have been damaged or destroyed.

“One of the reasons Ukraine has been able to repel these Russian attacks is because we have never relied on the weather or the seasons,” he said.

“The stakes are very high and nothing can stop our great soldiers or our people, who have suffered enormously.

“We know our army needs to be well-equipped in the winter, just as in the summer.

“The difference between us and the Russians is that we take better care of our soldiers, with better food and uniforms to survive in this environment.

“We have seen how poorly equipped the Russian soldiers are, and also how poorly treated they are — this is a disgrace of the Russian army.

“Many Russian soldiers will suffer enormously because of the cold weather.

“Winter is a game-changer, we know that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has not accepted the reality that Russia is losing the war and that Russia will not win.”

Mr Kuleba said Russia was using « Second World War-era warfare » by sending poorly trained soldiers, prisoners and private mercenaries such as the Wagner Group to fight.

“They are sent in as cannon fodder — they are called ‘one timers’,” he said.

He said that showed « human life does not matter to Russia ».

“This is the biggest difference with Ukraine. Our people are precious to our country.”

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de The National.

11.12.2022

Το Σάββατο, 10 Δεκεμβρίου 2022, δεύτερη ημέρα των εργασιών του Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου του “World Policy Conference – For a Reasonably Open World” οι μετέχοντες είχαν την ευκαιρία να επικοινωνήσουν διαδικτυακά με τον Εξοχ. Υπουργό Εξωτερικών της Ουκρανίας κ. Dmytro Kuleba, ο οποίος αναφέρθηκε στην επικρατούσα κατάσταση στην Ουκρανία και απάντησε σε πλήθος ερωτήσεών τους.

Το βράδυ παρετέθη το επίσημο δείπνο του Συνεδρίου, στο οποίο κύριος ομιλητής ήταν ο πρώην Πρωθυπουργός της Γαλλίας Εξοχ. κ. Laurent Fabius, Πρόεδρος του COP21 και του Συνταγματικού Συμβουλίου της Γαλλίας, ο οποίος μετά την εισαγωγική ομιλία του απάντησε σε ερωτήσεις των συνδαιτυμόνων.

Στο χθεσινό μεσημβρινό διάλειμμα η Α.Θ. Παναγιότης ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης δέχθηκε στο κατάλυμά του, το Ξενοδοχείο St. Regis, τον Θεοφιλ. Επίσκοπο κ. Γρηγόριο και τον Πανοσιολ. Αρχιμανδρίτη κ. Μιχάηλ του Πατριαρχείου Αντιοχείας, οι οποίοι διακονούν στην περιοχή των Ηνωμένων Αραβικών Εμιράτων και οι οποίοι συνγευμάτισαν με τον Παναγιώτατο.

Σήμερα, Κυριακή, 11 Δεκεμβρίου, οι συνεδρίες είναι αφιερωμένες σε θέματα πανδημίας, δημόσιας υγείας και τροφίμων, καθώς και στο θέμα της Μέσης Ανατολής.

Μεταξύ των ομιλητών είναι και η Εξοχ. Υπουργός Κλιματικής Αλλαγής και Περιβάλλοντος των Εμιράτων κυρία Mariam Al Mheira, η οποία ανέφερε ότι η επόμενη Διάσκεψη για την κλιματική αλλαγή (COP28) του έτους 2023 θα γίνει στην χώρα της.

Το Συνέδριο θα κλείσει απόψε με ομιλία του Υπουργού Εξωτερικών της Σαουδικής Αραβίας, Α.Υ. Πρίγκηπος Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

Θα ακολουθήσει επίσκεψη στο Μουσείο του Λούβρου του Abu Dhabi.

Read the article on Romfea.

Published on Dec. 13, 2022

The UAE is one of the world’s biggest oil producers

Next year’s UN climate talks in the United Arab Emirates must work towards a just and equitable energy transition, the oil-rich host country, seeking a gradual move from fossil fuels, said Friday.

The UAE is one of the world’s biggest oil producers.

It wants to « bring diverse and different thoughts to the table from all around the world and in particular the countries of the global south », said Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy.

« How we manage to deal with a just energy transition by also ensuring prosperity and stability for people around the world, how we manage to do that in a manner that’s equitable » is the issue, she told the World Policy Conference of political, business, academic and other leaders in Abu Dhabi.

In an interview with AFP in July, the UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri insisted the world is « not ready » to switch from hydrocarbons, despite the havoc being unleashed by global warming.

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de Zawya.

08.12.2023

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, today, Thursday, December 8, 2022, accompanied by Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon and Tertiary Patriarchal Deacon Kallinikos, departed for Abu Dhabi, in order to participate in two International Conferences of Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue.

Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Myra was appointed Commissioner.

Read the article on OrthodoxTimes.

 12/12/2022

A senior UAE official announced on Saturday it was hopeful to see greater European outreach to Gulf Arab countries in the face of the Ukraine war and energy crisis, but that engagement should not be “transactional.”

A number of European officials went to Gulf countries to secure energy deliveries outside of former top provider Russia when the West forced penalties on Moscow over its attack on Ukraine.

“What we’re hearing, especially from the Germans and others, about reengaging with the Gulf, I am encouraged but I would warn that it should not be transactional,” Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic consultant to the president of the UAE, updated the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi. “I think that language is partly driven by self-interest — trying to find new gas providers, new oil providers,” he said.

“We need to see actions … it has to be long term and strategic.”

Gargash repeated a call for “explicit” security pledges from traditional Western partners, mainly in coping with the threat from Iranian drones that Gulf states have long warned about.

It was not until these arms “made it into the Ukraine theater” that they were “catapulted” into the spotlight, and “suddenly the world rediscovered this issue,” Gargash added.

[…]

Lire l’article sur le site de MenaFN.