The UK government estimates that a UK-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could increase trade by 16 per cent. But FTAs do not come easy. The European Union has been negotiating with the GCC since 1990.

Can Britain seal a deal that works at all levels? We talk to those at the front line of navigating the challenges.

Speakers:

Moderator: Nour Al Ali - Bloomberg News

Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State for Business and Trade

HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar al Saud - Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the UK

H.E Mansoor Abulhoul - Ambassador of the UAE to the UK

Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, introduces the 2nd of a series of 4 debates at the 2023 Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

The Rt Hon Alistair Burt, the highly-respected two-time Minister of State for the Middle East, chairs the debate with two eminent guests - Con Coughlin, the Defence Editor of The Telegraph, and Shayan Talabany, an analyst at the Tony Blair Institute.

The panel discuss the tragedy of Syria and the long-running conflict that has caused a humanitarian and security disaster in the Middle East - Isis, the Captagon drug smuggling crisis and a refugee catastrophe. Bashar al-Assad presides over the disaster with support of Russia and Iran. What can, and should, the West do?

Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, chairs the first of of 4 of CMEC's CPC'23 debate series: "Who's BRIC-ing it? Can NATO and the West maintain relevance in the MENA region?"

Saudi-Iran rapprochement, China stepping up its deal-making diplomacy in MENA, the rise and expansion of BRICS influence, the possibility of de-dollarisation.

As tectonic plates shift, CMEC brings together world experts to discuss how NATO, the West and the UK maintain relevance in the global future.

Our 2 speakers are Sir John Jenkins KCVO - former UK Ambassador to Syria, Libya, Iraq and Saudi Arabia

And Mina Al-Oraibi - the British-Iraqi journalist and commentator and Editor of The National Newspaper, based in Abu Dhabi.

Charlotte Leslie, Director of CMEC, leads a delegation of 5 British parliamentarians to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a bastion of stability in the Middle East, and a valued and important ally of the United Kingdom.

Jordan faces a number of challenges. It is bearing the brunt of the region's refugee crisis - with 1.3 million Syrian refugees. The Kingdom is also having to deal with a serious water shortage, exacerbated by climate change, as well as the challenges posed by the Captagon smuggling racket, run by Hezbollah in Lebanon and elements of the Assad regime in neighbouring Syria.

Charlotte interviews Rob Butler, Conservative MP for Aylesbury, Lord Risby of Haverhill, the Conservative peer, Dr Alia Hatoug-Bouran, the Jordanian senator, and Dina Al-Bashir, a member of Jordan's House of Representatives.

The prospects for peace and a two state solution for Palestinians and Israelis have never looked so bleak. Benjamin Netanyahu leads a controversial government dominated by far right and ultra nationalist ministers clearly ill-disposed opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie takes stock on the current situation with two activists, one an Israeli and the other a Palestinian.

Ashraf Ajrami is a a writer, journalist and a former Palestinian government minister; Susie Becher is a member of the Policy Working Group on Palestine/Israel that promotes human rights for both Palestinians and Israelis and works towards ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Both Susie and Ashraf talk about their hopes for a two state solution and the many obstacles that currently stand in the way of a lasting peace.

Con Coughlin, The Telegraph's Defence Editor and author, talks to CMEC's Director Charlotte Leslie about his new book The Triumph of Tyranny.

This fascinating and insightful book published by Pan Macmillan lifts the lid on the brutal Assad regime which has been in power in Syria for 53 years. With decades of reporting experience in the Middle East, Con Coughlin explains the family's rise to power and how it has retained control through torture, murder and war.

This podcast tells the remarkable story of how a theatre company - the Khaleej Aden theatre troupe - brought William Shakespeare's Hamlet to war-torn Yemen, and provides a valuable insight into Yemenis living with war.

CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to the Aden-based film and theatre director, Amr Gamal, about the challenges in putting on the production, the war in Yemen and the yearning Yemenis have for peace and a sense of normality, whatever that might look like. Amr Gamal also talks about the valuable support he received from the British Council. This is the first in a series of podcasts looking at the British Council's work in the MENA region.

This podcast covers the #NAKBA 75 Commemoration at Westminster Central Hall on May 12th 2023 that was led by H.E Dr Husam Zomlot, the Palestine Ambassador to London.

Other speakers included the Rt Hon Crispin Blunt MP, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur, The Rt Hon Layla Moran MP, The Rt Hon Bambos Charalambous MP & Dr Aimee Shalan, Chair of the British Palestine Committee.

CMEC's Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Roger Macmillan, Director of Safety & Security at Iran International, an independent Persian speaking news service. Roger Macmillan talks about the sustained campaign of threats and intimidation waged by the regime against staff at Iran International, which has reported fearlessly on the extensive human rights abuses in Iran.

Iran has accused Iran International of inciting recent protests against the regime and even levelled false allegations that the station was "a terrorist organisation." The threats posed by Iran were so severe that in February 2023, Police in London could no longer guarantee the safety of staff and so Iran International decided to base its operation in Washington DC. Mr Macmillan explains how Iran has attempted to to export its repression of the media to encompass overseas journalists.

CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie - at the IISS Manama Dialogue '22 - talks to CMEC's Honorary President, Lord Soames, (pictured, left) to Sir Alan Duncan KCMG, former Foreign Office minister and former CMEC chairman, to HE Roddy Drummond, UK's Ambassador to Bahrain, and to Iain Lindsay OBE, a former ambassador to Bahrain and advisor to the Bahrain Economic Development board. Topics include the Russia-Ukraine war, changes in Bahrain, Iranian influence in the region and the Syria and Yemen conflicts.