Meeting Background

On 26 May 2025, Dr Emad Ballack—President of MENA International and a pioneer of economic diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa—held an unscheduled yet profound discussion with Sheikh Ayder Rustemov, the Grand Mufti of Crimea. The conversation centred on the shared experience of exile and dispossession suffered by Crimean Tatars, Kurds, and many peoples across the Arab world.

Shared Suffering, Stronger Partnerships

Both leaders reflected on the parallels of forced displacement and diaspora life, emphasising that common pain can become a foundation for trust and collaboration. Dr Ballack noted that restoring dignity and identity requires more than political rhetoric; it demands concrete initiatives that reconnect uprooted communities to global value chains and inclusive economic growth.

Commercial Diplomacy as Soft Power

The dialogue stressed “commercial diplomacy”—deploying trade and cultural exchange as bridge-building tools. Trade, they agreed, is not merely the movement of goods; it is the circulation of ideas, stories, and identities. Through MENA International’s platforms, Dr Ballack is developing cooperation models that enable displaced communities to take part in reconstruction, clean-energy projects, and smart agriculture, ensuring local populations benefit directly from development gains.

Crimean Tatars: A Gateway to Deeper MENA Understanding

Mufti Rustemov highlighted how the Muslim Crimean Tatar experience opens a dialogue with the broader Arab and Islamic worlds, encapsulating centuries of resilience under imperial domination. Both sides concurred that these stories of cultural survival can inform educational and media efforts that deepen understanding between Kyiv, Erbil, Baghdad, and Dubai. Dr Ballack also cited a recent event in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, where Ukrainian MP Tamila Tasheva presented the Ukrainian struggle through a Crimean Tatar lens—demonstrating the power of shared narratives to galvanise solidarity.

Dr Emad Ballack’s Forward-Looking Vision

As an adviser on post-conflict projects, Dr Ballack combines humanitarian action with sustainable investment. His roadmap focuses on:

1. Empowering the diaspora through dedicated social-impact investment funds.

2. Preserving cultural memory of uprooted minorities via research centres and youth exchanges.

3. Comprehensive reconstruction built on clean energy and fair supply chains.

4. Good governance that ensures transparency and engages civil society in decision-making.

A Call to Partnership

This meeting underscores that lasting peace demands institutions capable of transforming shared pain into shared progress. MENA International invites governments, private-sector leaders, and non-profit organisations to join these efforts and explore practical opportunities in trade, education, and reconstruction—redrawing maps of hope for nations that have lost their homelands but never their resolve.

“Our struggle continues, and our bridges now span continents.” — Dr Emad Ballack

For further details, consult the original article on DUMK.org:
https://www.dumk.org/2025/05/26/u-poshukax-spilnogo-cherez-bil-narodiv-shho-zalishilisya-bez-batkivshhini/