Doha Forum Kicks Off, with Gaza at the Forefront of Talks

The 21st edition of the Doha Forum kicked off on Sunday.
The 21st edition of the Doha Forum kicked off on Sunday.
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Doha Forum Kicks Off, with Gaza at the Forefront of Talks

The 21st edition of the Doha Forum kicked off on Sunday.
The 21st edition of the Doha Forum kicked off on Sunday.

The 21st edition of the Doha Forum, which is held under the patronage of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, kicked off on Sunday, in the presence of opinion leaders, senior policymakers, foreign and defense officials, and a large number of businessmen.
Held under the slogan, “Together towards building a bright tomorrow,” the two-day forum is a global platform that seeks to discuss solutions to the world’s crises.
In addition to political, security, and energy files, the Doha Forum discusses a number of topics, including economic development, environmental sustainability, food security, and artificial intelligence.
Sunday’s first conference addresses the situation in the Middle East, and features discussions by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, Jordanian Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Al-Safadi, and Dennis Francis, President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The tragic situation in the Gaza Strip is at the forefront of the discussions.
Another conference will be held under the title: “Palestine has become a global crisis; Does it have a global solution?” It will be attended by Ambassador of the Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom Hossam Zomlot, Minister of State at the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, and Daniel Levy, Head of the US/Middle East Project and the former Israeli negotiator at Taba and Oslo.
The forum sees an important discussion, entitled “Humanitarian Diplomacy in a World Full of Challenges... An Overview of Global Humanitarian Action 2024”, with the participation of Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
The forum will also witness a closed session to discuss the situation in Yemen, under the title, “Local, regional and international dynamics in Yemen.”



Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Taiwan’s Representative to Saudi Arabia: 260,000 Pagers Exported in Two Years

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Taiwan is investigating who is responsible for modifying the pagers that were turned into explosives in the hands of the Lebanese people, including members of Hezbollah.

Taiwan’s representative to Saudi Arabia Samee Chang told Asharq Al-Awsat that 260,000 pagers were exported from his country between 2022 and 2024, and 16 percent of them were sent to the United States and Europe.

He expressed his regret that the pagers were planted with explosives that were used in the attack in Lebanon last month, clarifying that the devices were not directly exported from Taiwan to Lebanon.

He explained that the components of the device are made of material that is not liable to explode.

Apollo Gold, the Taiwanese company that exported the pagers between 2022 and 2024, has never received any complaints that its devices have caused harm or exploded.

The attack in Lebanon has raised several questions and they are being probed by authorities in Taiwan, he went on to say.

One thing is for certain, the devices were not harmful in the shape they were exported from the country, stressed Chang.

Asked about whether the attack may harm Taiwan’s economy, he replied that his country’s industry sector has a strong reputation that will be difficult to undermine given the trust it has from clients.

The size of the sector and Taiwan’s investments cannot be measured by a small number of pagers, as they only make up a mere fraction in the country’s trade relations with countries all over the world, he stressed.

Separately, Chang revealed that Taiwan was considering cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the chip industry, saying he was optimistic over the broad potential for cooperation in the technology sector.

There are no limits to the cooperation between them, he added.

Taiwan constantly wants to maintain the relations and discuss opportunities for joint investments, he stated.

Taiwan was among the first countries to leap to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in all fields to help the Kingdom achieve its Vision 2030 that is spearheaded by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Chang said.