Former Spanish foreign minister discusses challenges of 21st-century diplomacy at Emirates Diplomatic Academy.

The Emirates Diplomatic Academy (EDA) on Saturday hosted Miguel Angel Moratinos, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, for a talk on 21st Century diplomacy and Europe’s foreign policy in the Middle East.

Moratinos addressed EDA students on the changing role of diplomats in a world of social media and instant media reporting. A veteran, who entered the diplomatic service in 1977 and served in Eastern Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East, he emphasised the importance of creative, flexible and democratic diplomacy.

"Today, with the speed of modern media reporting, there is more emphasis on the ability of diplomats to analyse the latest developments and promote the interests of their country. The diplomat forms a vital link between the homeland and the host country, and plays an essential part in building relationships with governments, sourcing knowledge about foreign institutions, and smoothing the path for businesses in foreign markets.

"I am pleased to see such a highly skilled group of young diplomats at EDA and I look forward to what I believe will be a successful career for them. EDA is the leading diplomatic training centre in the Middle East, and I am honoured to contribute to the education of its students," Moratinos said.

Thanking Moratinos for his expertise and insights into the modern world of diplomacy, Bernardino Leon, Director-General of EDA, said, "Moratinos is a highly regarded diplomat and his talk was extremely relevant to EDA, where we are preparing outstanding UAE diplomats and government leaders. We want to ensure that every EDA graduate possesses the essential knowledge, skills and character to further the interests of the UAE in a landscape where traditional diplomatic concepts are being replaced with contemporary approaches."

During his tenure as a minister, Moratinos held the presidency of the UN Security Council as well as the chairmanships-in-office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the Council of the European Union. More recently, he was a member of the High-Level Advisory Council of the President of the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly.

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