Official lectures on good diplomacy at university

Prof. Hamid M.K. Al Naimiy, Chancellor of the University of Sharjah, received a delegation from the United States Consulate in Dubai led by Consul General Philip Frayne during their visit to explore areas of cooperation  with the University. Prof. Kamal Youcef-Toumi, Mechanical Engineering Professor, Co-Director of Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT in the US, and Member of the University of Sharjah’s Board of Trustees, attended the meeting along with Prof. Elsiddig Ahmed ElMustafa El Sheikh, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies; Dr Salah Taher, Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs; and Prof. Abdul Sahib Mehdi, Acting Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Science.

  The Chancellor welcomed the delegation and expressed his happiness at the meeting with the Consul General. He gave an overview of the University of Sharjah and the programmes offered at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and highlighted the University’s cultural diversity, which enabled it to be one of the top universities in the world in terms of diversity. He then discussed possible area of cooperation in the future such as in diplomatic and economic education, and exchange of students and faculty members.

  During the visit, the Consul General delivered a lecture to the students of the Department of International Relations at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University under the title: “How to be a Good Diplomat.” During this lecture he addressed the continuing importance of diplomatic work and diplomats in the modern era, pointing to the growing role of social media. In spite of its role as a sophisticated means of communication in many respects, he continued, it cannot be considered an alternative to the in-depth knowledge of persons working in the diplomatic field. He also talked about diplomats as the link between the country he/she represents and the country in which he/she work, and the representation of its interests as determined by the government. He also explained his personal experience in diplomatic work in the Middle East.

  The audience was also given the opportunity to discuss a number of diplomatic challenges and topics related to the US administration in particular those related to the Middle East and the world in general.

COMMON APPROACH

The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are brought together by their common approach of “taking what is best from the past and having a bold vision for the future,” British Ambassador Patrick Moody said in Abu Dhabi recently, according to WAM.

He was addressing guests at the annual Embassy reception to celebrate the official birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, 93 this year.

This approach “lies at the heart of what is best about both countries, and that brings us together,” he said, describing the relationship as “so strong in the past and so full of potential for the future.”

Saying that both countries “share a commitment to ensuring a prosperous future for our peoples,” the ambassador went on to note that the UK is the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, in the UAE, with over 5,000 British companies registered here and over 100,000 British residents of the Emirates. Bilateral trade, he said, now runs at a level of 17.5 billion pounds sterling a year, around Dhs85 billion, while around 1.5 million British people visit the Emirates annually.

Britain, Moody said, had been a trusted partner in the growth of the UAE so far, and looked forward to continued engagement in the future.

“We want to be partners for the future challenges,” he said, citing the examples of innovation and the new Fourth Industrial Revolution around Artificial Intelligence and big data, cleaner and more efficient energy, financial technology and education and training.