The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA), in cooperation with Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies (IDS), held a virtual workshop, titled “The Role of Diplomacy in Crisis Management.”
Ambassador Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi, permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN, delivered a keynote address at the beginning of the workshop, which was attended by Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan, UAE ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
The workshop discussed three key issues, including planning and crisis management, international cooperation and diplomacy in mitigating the impact of crises, and bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, which deliberated the role of international organizations in such crises.
The workshop came within the framework of the agenda of both the EDA and IDS for the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields. A number of students from both entities attended the session, along with a group of employees of the ministries of foreign affairs of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Dr. Mariam Ibrahim Al-Mahmoud, deputy director general of EDA, welcomed Al-Mouallimi and Al-Nahyan, as well as the speakers and attendants from both sides. Dr. Al-Mahmoud said: “The deeply rooted relationship between EDA and IDS is a reflection of what is characterized by the well-established relations between the UAE and the Kingdom, which receives direct attention and close direction from the leaderships of the two countries, led by the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman.”
She added: “The UAE and Saudi Arabia are distinguished in dealing with the repercussions of the crisis imposed by this pandemic, on the levels of health, social, economic, and even beyond that, in the fields of political and diplomatic work. At a time when many countries around the world ceased to deal with this global crisis at the local level, the urgent need to have preemptive plans for managing crises diplomatically emerged, as nations and their diplomatic teams work swiftly to strengthen relations and build bridges between societies.”
Dr. Abdullah Al-Salamah, director general of IDS, said: “At Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies, we look forward to benefiting from such initiatives to enhance our specialized diplomatic training offerings, and improving the skills of employees at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and other relevant entities to deal with such crises.”
