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Riyadh Hosts Major Int’l Tech Gathering to Predict Future of Global Technology

Riyadh hosts the largest global gathering to review technology developments (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Riyadh hosts the largest global gathering to review technology developments (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Riyadh Hosts Major Int’l Tech Gathering to Predict Future of Global Technology

Riyadh hosts the largest global gathering to review technology developments (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Riyadh hosts the largest global gathering to review technology developments (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh is hosting the second edition of a major technology conference known as LEAP. From Feb. 6 to 9, tech innovators and leading experts will predict the future of technology and its effective role, and to find innovative solutions to the most important challenges facing the sector.

LEAP 2023 will seek raising tech awareness and highlighting Saudi Arabia’s position as a major center for technology and innovation.

Launched under the title “Towards New Horizons,” the tech conference is expected to host more than 700 international leading experts in technology investment.

They will speak through seven different platforms designed to include all technical, innovative and investment interests. More than 500 sessions will be held.

LEAP 2023’s “investors” platform will present investments in the technology and innovation sector, conclude commercial agreements, and review successful partnerships and models worldwide.

Four stages will be devoted to panelists and experts discussing financial technologies, smart cities, health and educational technologies, retail trade, the future of energy and the industrial revolution.

The conference is organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, and UAE-based IT services and consulting firm Tahaluf.

It aims to spark discussions on artificial intelligence, the digital transformation, and advancements in the field of technical and innovative entrepreneurship through immersive learning, storytelling sessions and lectures.

Michelle Crawford, the head of TrustedOne.Global, a major US-based consulting firm, listed three key opportunities that virtual reality can provide to investors.

“It (virtual reality) provides real-time use cases that generate revenues in the present day, brings next-generation technologies and skills to the youth of Saudi Arabia, and highlights the rich Saudi history to the world,” Crawford told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Furthermore, Crawford expected that LEAP 2023 will revolutionize tech conferences and change the face of technology in Riyadh.

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EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
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EU May Suspend Syria Sanctions on Energy and Transport

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

The European Union may soon suspend sanctions on Syria related to energy and transport but has yet to agree on whether to ease restrictions on financial transactions, according to three diplomats and a document seen by Reuters.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the matter at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. The bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told Reuters on Wednesday she hopes a political agreement on easing the sanctions can be reached at the gathering.
Europe’s approach to Damascus began to shift after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as president in December by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which the United Nations designates as a terrorist group.
Officials see transport as key for helping Syria’s airports become fully operational, which in turn could facilitate the return of refugees. Energy and electricity are similarly seen as important for improving living conditions to help stabilize the country and encourage citizens to come back.
According to an EU document seen by Reuters, diplomats from the bloc's 27 members recommended taking swift action towards suspending the restrictions "in sectors necessary for economic stabilization and launch of economic reconstruction of Syria, such as those regarding energy and transport”.
The diplomats, who are part of a group that negotiates the EU’s foreign policy positions on issues related to the Middle East and North Africa, also recommended “assessing options for reopening banking and investment relations with Syria”.
“The easing of EU restrictive measures would be rolled out in a staged approach and in a reversible manner, regularly assessing if the conditions in Syria allow for further suspension,” the diplomats wrote, pointing to the need for respect for fundamental freedoms and an inclusive transition.
The wording of the document represents a compromise among EU capitals. Some governments want to move quickly to suspend sanctions, while others prefer a more careful and gradual approach to ensure Europe retains leverage.
If a political agreement is announced on Monday, European officials would proceed to work on the technical details of a suspension.
A number of sanctions should remain in place, according to the document, including measures related to the Al-Assad regime, illicit drug trade and arms trade.