KUWAIT:  Representing His Highness the Prime Minister, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah participated in the 20th edition of the Doha Forum, held on Saturday under the title: "Transforming for a New Era". The forum was held under the auspices and in presence of Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and with the attendance of a number of leaders, foreign ministers, UN and EU officials and senior tourist, economic and security officials.

The event highlighted international efforts to promote joint cooperation and coordination in addressing rising global challenges and necessary reforms for developing relevant policies and approaches. The discussions also include the latest regional and international developments, mediation, preventive diplomacy, international affairs, peace and prevention of conflicts, climate change, fuel energy and COVID-19 impacts, and others.

Inaugurating the 20th Doha Forum, Amir of Qatar said that the world has reached a critical stage at the political, economic, environmental, and social levels. The Qatari Amir added in a speech he gave during the opening ceremony of the event that the current time requires "radical reviews before the entire globe reaches a stage of unbalance." Environmentally unfriendly and irresponsible forms of industrial production are extremely increasing, leading to catastrophic consequences affecting humanity, and would even continue to harm the future generations, Sheikh Tamim added.

Meanwhile, the shocking increase in poverty levels, and difficulty in reaching the basic life needs led to famine, he said. "We believe that social justice is the real safety measure for societies, which requires fair tax policies, as most societies cannot dispense state services," Sheikh Tamim said. Islamophobia needs firm efforts to encounter it, similar to efforts exerted in facing anti-Semitic and racial discrimination, he noted.

Anti-Semitic accusation is commonly used now in a wrong manner to those criticizing Zionist policies, which negatively affects the real fight against racial discrimination, he affirmed. At the political and security levels, he indicated that the Ukrainian war came after extended increase in armament over the last four decades. The Qatari Amir underscored on his country's firm position on rejecting violence, terrorizing civilians and assaulting the sovereignty of countries, and any other forms of violating humanitarian values and state laws.

"We are in solidarity with the millions of innocent people and refugees who are victims of this unjust war," he said, alluding to the war in Ukraine. "I would like to remind the world of millions of Palestinians who suffer from the Zionist occupation .. as well as (hardships of) the Syrian and Afghan peoples, whom the international community failed to support," he said.

Qatar has taken a path of rational dialogue based on balancing common values and interests, and "we have chosen the path of mediation to resolve disputes by peaceful and fair means," he said. The new era that "we dream about and I personally work for is the era of peace, security and coexistence for all. It is the era of social justice, where all peoples can reach their basic needs of education, health, food resources, a world in which they live in dignity and practice their lifestyle and cultures," Sheikh Tamim said.

The two-day Doha Forum aims to launch dialogue and debate on the critical challenges encountering "our world, and promote exchange of ideas, policy-making and provide feasible recommendations." The forum's new edition of the forum, the first held since outbreak of the coronavirus, tackles various political issues, international relations, global financial topics, economic development, defense, cyber security, food security, in addition to sustainability and climate change, he said. - KUNA