In 2020, I was asked by senior party officials to establish Conservative Friends of the Middle East and Africa (COMENA), a new organisation affiliated to the Conservative Party to promote understanding and cooperation between the party and the countries of the MENA region.
COMENA was intended to be a friendship group organising exchange visits, lectures and cultural events to promote greater understanding of the region and stronger ties with members of the Arab Diplomatic Corps in London, opinion leaders across the Arab world and with the MENA diaspora in the UK.
More than 100 parliamentarians, diplomats and Middle East experts expressed interest in membership, including a former Chancellor, a Party Treasurer, five Trade Envoys and the Chairman of Conservatives Abroad, subject to its affiliation with the party and complying with its constitution.
COMENA’s council consisted of senior Parliamentarians and expert advisors, and it was registered as a company. In March 2021, I wrote to the Party on behalf of the COMENA Board formally to apply for affiliation.
The correspondence between myself and the party is laid out in full.
Documents Provided