QNA
Doha
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani said that the Doha Forum 2023 was founded to serve as a platform for communication between peoples, not only during times when such communication is easy, but even in the darkest of times, with increasing polarisation in the world, and when communication between us all is an indispensable need.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 21st edition of the Doha Forum, HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “When we chose the slogan of the Doha Forum this year, ‘Building Shared Futures,’ we hoped that the Forum would be held under conditions that would allow us to engage in positive dialogue around our common future, in a way that reflects the dreams and aspirations of the people of the world. However, with much sadness and pain, we meet today while the world is suffering from the shadows of successive and relentless crises”.
He said: “The unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe that is happening in Gaza is prompting free peoples around the world to ask legitimate questions about the nature of the international system, the effectiveness of its legal tools, and the sincerity of its principles. These questions are becoming more urgent as we increasingly witness painful scenes. We may turn away from these horrors, but they are undeniable realities that 2.3mn people have been enduring every day, for more than 60 days.”
He said that it is unfortunate that the pretexts used to target civilians are acceptable to some, stressing, at the same time, that deliberately targeting women, children, and innocent civilians is unacceptable under any pretext. “International law, alongside our humanitarian and religious values demand that we ensure their protection, and our condemnation of their killing, besiegement and starvation is a firm, unwavering, and principled position.”