Media coverage
Rudaw · 2026-10-12
The Middle East Forum 2026 (MERI) opens in Erbil on Monday, 12 October 2026, with media sponsorship from Rudaw and participation by officials, politicians, and experts from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, Syria, and other countries. The text lays out the two-day program, including sessions on the new Syria, building a stronger Kurdistan, rebuilding the Levant after conflict, Iraq and its international partners, governance in Iraq, energy security, the Iraqi Central Bank, the future of Iraq’s security system, as well as discussions on Turkey, the Kurds, and Kurds in Syria. It also explains that the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) organizes international conferences and forums to engage local and international actors in discussing key issues affecting Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and the wider Middle East, with the aim of promoting peace, stability, and prosperity through dialogue.
The Middle East Forum 2026 (MERI) opens in Erbil on Monday, 12 October 2026, with media sponsorship from Rudaw and participation by officials, politicians, and experts from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, Syria, and other countries. The text lays out the two-day program, including sessions on the new S…
Rudaw Digital Today, Monday (12 October 2026), the proceedings of the Middle East Forum 2026 “MERI” begin in the city of Erbil in the Kurdistan Region, with media sponsorship from Rudaw. The first day’s program includes the following: 09:15
The Middle East and the Contract Debate: Framing the Forum’s Dialogues
Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of the Middle East Research Institute Followed by: Session 1: The New Syria: From Division to a Partnership State
Ilham Ahmad, Foreign Relations Committee, Syrian People’s Council
Najib al-Ghadban, Senior Adviser to the Foreign Minister, Syria
Amy Holmes, George Washington University, United States of America
Ammar Kahf, Executive Director of the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, Syria
(Moderator) 10:50
Break 11:20
Session 2: Building a Stronger Kurdistan: Unity, Security, and Regional Partnerships
Bafel Talabani, Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Sarhang Hamasaeed, expert in dialogue and peacebuilding, United States of America
(Moderator) 12:00
Session change 12:10
Session 3: The Levant after Conflict: Rebuilding States and Reconnecting Societies
Saeed Al Masri, Arab Thought Forum, Jordan
Omar Shaban, PalThink for Strategic Studies, Palestine
Makram Owais, Lebanese Center for Studies, Lebanon
Zozan Alloush, independent adviser on development and political affairs, Syria
(Moderator) 13:10
Lunch break 14:30
Session 4: Partners, Not Donors: A New Chapter between Iraq and Its International Partners
Niccolò Fontana, Ambassador of Italy to Iraq
Radu Octavian Dobre, Ambassador of Romania to Iraq
Antti Puutioinen, Ambassador of Finland to Iraq
Kamaran Palani, Associate Fellow, Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
(Moderator) 15:30
Session change 16:00
Session 5: Governance in Iraq: Lessons in Power, Consensus, and State-Building
Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, former Iraqi Prime Minister and head of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition
Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
(Moderator) 16:40
Break 16:50
Session 6: Leading Kurdistan amid Turmoil: Strengthening Resilience at Home and Influence Abroad
Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Bilal Wahab, President of the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani
(Moderator) 17:35
Closing remarks for the first day of the forum 17:45
End of the first day The second day: Tuesday, 13 October 2026 Session 7: From Fragmentation to Integration: The Future of Iraq’s Security Architecture after the International Coalition
Qasim al-Aboudi, National Security Adviser, Iraq
Reber Ahmed, Minister of Interior in the Kurdistan Regional Government
Saad Salloum, Masarat Foundation
(Moderator) 10:20
Session change 10:30
Session 8: Supporting Kurdistan’s Future: Gas Supplies, 24-Hour Electricity, and Energy Security
Ahmed Mufti, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government
Aziz Ahmed, Deputy Director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Kurdistan Regional Government
Khoger Wrya, Senior Fellow, Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
(Moderator) 11:15
Break 11:45
Session 9: The Dinar, the Dollar, and Discipline: The Central Bank of Iraq in a Turbulent World
Samir Fakhri Nima, Director General of the Statistics and Research Department, Central Bank of Iraq
Raad Hijazin, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Region Trade Bank for Investment and Finance
Ahmed Tabaqchali, Senior Fellow, Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council
(Moderator) 12:30
Session change 12:40
Session 10: After the Coalition: Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and the New Regional Balance
Sarhang Hamasaeed, expert in dialogue and peacebuilding, Washington
Jabbar Yawar, former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces
Hiwa Othman, journalist
(Moderator) 13:40
Lunch break 15:00
Session 11: Kurdistan at a Critical Juncture: Security, Federalism, and a New Political Pact
Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq
Zhyan Rojhelati, Director of Rudaw Research Center
(Moderator) 15:40
Session change 15:50
Session 12: From Conflict to a New Political Settlement: Turkey, the Kurds, and the Future of the Region
Tuncer Bakırhan, Co-Chair of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM), Turkey
Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
(Moderator) 16:30
Session change 16:40
Session 13: The Kurds in Syria and the New State: From Self-Administration to Integration and Political Rights
Mazloum Abdi, Adviser to the Syrian Presidency, former commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
Dlawer Ala’Aldeen, President of the Middle East Research Institute (MERI)
(Moderator) 17:25
Closing remarks 17:40
Conclusion of the Middle East Forum 2026 It is worth noting that the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) holds a wide range of conferences and meetings, including large-scale international forums. These events aim to engage local and international actors in its activities, including opinion leaders and decision-makers, and provide a platform to examine and discuss the principal issues affecting Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and the Middle East as a whole. The Middle East Research Institute does this by using its standing as a leading independent institution in the field of policy-making, and it aims to promote constructive discussions on a wide range of issues. On these occasions, the institute has hosted a number of prominent speakers, such as the President of the Republic of Iraq, the Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and many ministers from both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as many international figures. The events held by the Middle East Research Institute are conducted with the aim of promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East region, through a broad focus on dialogue and mutual discussion. The Middle East Research Institute believes that this culture is the pivotal culture for consolidating long-term stability in Iraq and across the wider Middle East region.
Text © Rudaw — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source