Under the patronage of the Eastern Christian Study Group of the National Assembly and with the collaboration of the Town Hall of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) organized a cultural conference entitled “USEK Meetings in France: Lebanon, France and Christians of the East”. This event took place on Friday, May 25, 2018, at the Town Hall of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France.

The inaugural session included addresses by Mr. Claude Goasguen, Paris MP and co-chair of the Eastern Christian Study Group, and Mr. Rami Adwan, Lebanon’s ambassador to France. USEK President Rev. Fr. Prof. Georges Hobeika explored the theme of “The university: education in the service of diversity”. USEK’s role, at the heart of the conference, and was also discussed by USEK Provost Mr. Georges Yahchouchi.

The first round table, moderated by Mr. Goasguen, was entitled “The Christians of the East in the face of the geopolitical challenges of the Near East”. The speakers included: Mr. Nassif Hitti, former ambassador and director of USEK’s Higher Institute of Political and Administrative Sciences; Mrs. Bérénice Murgue-Khattar, historian specializing in the history of the contemporary Middle East; and Mr. François-Xavier Deniau, ambassador tasked with following up on the conference on the victims of ethnic and religious violence in the Middle East.

The second round table, moderated by Mr. Gwendal Rouillard, Lorient MP and co-chair of the Eastern Christian Study Group, was entitled “Lebanon’s Christians and France: historical, cultural and economic relations and perspectives”. Speakers included Mr. Antoine Fleyfel, teacher of theology at the Université de Lille and in charge of academic issues at L’Œuvre d’Orient, Mrs. Bariza Khiari, France’s representative within the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, and Mr. Fadi Comair, director general of Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water.

A gala dinner was organized for the occasion on the same day and took place in the reception hall of the Town Hall of the 16th arrondissement in the presence of French and Lebanese diplomats, elected representatives and religious and academic figures.