Anwar Gargash, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE
In dialogue with Marc Perelman, France 24 and Monica Maggioni, Rai
2020 has been a decisively exceptional year for the United Arab Emirates. On the one hand, the federation is facing a range of domestic and regional challenges, especially in light of COVID-19 and the drop in global oil prices. On the other, the rapid and practical reactions to the unprecedented questions posed by the post-coronavirus reality have also provided considerable opportunities for the second-largest Arab economy and its growing regional role in the Gulf, North Africa and the Red Sea. In this framework, the agreements recently signed with Tel Aviv under the mediation of Washington have marked a watershed in the Middle East context, probably becoming one of the most strategic developments the region has witnessed in recent times. Through the “Abraham Accords”, the UAE has indeed become the first Gulf state to normalize relations and recognize the state of Israel, as well as paved the way for tangible opportunities, not least the growing possibilities of exchange, cooperation and business. On a broader perspective, this achievement represents an ideal means to strengthen the federation’s political role in the region, as well as its image of a successful development model on the international stage. Undoubtedly, the outcomes of this deal will resonate throughout the Middle East and beyond.
Anwar Gargash is an Emirati politician who was elected as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008. Gargash started his career as a faculty member at United Arab Emirates University where he served from 1985 to 1995. From 1995 to 1999, he worked as Managing Editor of the Strategic Studies publication by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), and from 1995 to 2006 as Chief Executive Officer of Gargash Enterprise. Between August 2006 and February 2007, Gargash served as Chairman of the National Election Committee. He was appointed Minister of State for the Federal National Council in 2006. Gargash received a bachelor’s degree in 1981 and a master’s degree in 1984 in political science from George Washington University. He then obtained a PhD from King’s College of Cambridge University in 1990.