Syrian president arrives in Qatar to attend Doha Forum

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Qatar on Friday to participate in the 2025 edition of the Doha Forum.

Sharaa was accompanied by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Marwan Al-Halabi, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The two-day event, set to open on Saturday, will bring together global leaders, including Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates.

The 2025 program, developed with global think tanks and research institutions, will feature sessions such as "The Gaza Reckoning: Reassessing Global Responsibilities and Pathways to Peace," "Gulf-EU Relations in the Age of Strategic Isolation," "AI as a Double-Edged Sword: Strategies for Responsible Use in the Military Domain," and "US-China Relations: Navigating the Risks and Opportunities of a Changing Global Order."

More than 6,000 participants from over 150 countries are expected to attend.

The most recent edition of the forum, held in December 2024 under the theme "The Innovation Imperative," drew more than 5,000 attendees, including over 350 speakers.