Over 150 Euromed students and academic experts gathered today in Alexandria to debate about the challenges, opportunities and projects that could help promoting coexistence and collaboration within the Euromed multicultural societies.

The Second Euromed Research Souk, which is organized by the EMUNI (Euro-Mediterranean University), the Anna Lindh Foundation, Alexandria University and Bibliotheca Alexandrina, is an annual multi-conference taking place simultaneously in different countries of the Union for the Mediterranean region.

This year it gathers as many as 19 institutions from 14 countries, encouraging its participants to present their projects on Union for the Mediterranean priority projects. Speaking at the opening ceremony Andreu Claret, Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation, said: “We are honored to bring to this Souk the methodology of the upcoming Anna Lindh Report on Intercultural Trends, that will be published this September.

The Report will start from a reliable Survey among 13.000 people, which is the basis for several analysis written by some renowned experts and it will be complemented by good practices coming from our civil society Networks, as an example of how to combine academic research and social experience”

From his side, Joseph Mifsud, the President of EMUNI declared: “the objective of the research souk is to bring young researchers in the Union for the Mediterranean together without the boundaries of walls and nations. The fact that Alexandria was chosen highlights the importance that this ancient seat of knowledge should be an example for north-south and south-south cooperation in the field of research”. Speaking at the opening ceremony Professor Hind Hanafy, President of Alexandria University said: “Alexandria University (AU) is aware that cultural dialogue and the absorption of differences are essential in our universe.

Thus, we are wholeheartedly engaged in this project. We have put among our priorities a strategy to encourage student exchange and support all joint researches. This is the reason why AU is actively participating by its graduate students, in today’s Research Souk, as this will raise their awareness about the initiative of the Union for the Mediterranean and the opportunities it offers for them”.

The Research Souk which is organised this year on the theme ‘Living Together in the Multi-cultural Society’, will allow young researchers to share their projects on the priority areas of the Union for the Mediterranean with other participants across the region.

In this regard, a web video will be set in each of the 14 locations for a live broadcasting of the deliberations in each of the participating countries which include Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey. With the aim of involving more Southern countries in this important academic initiative, the organisers have decided to organise the next Research Souk in Beirut.