Experts during a panel discussion at the “6th Doha Forum for Policies and Strategies” organised by the Center for Strategic Studies of the Armed Forces in collaboration with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, yesterday.
DOHA: The “6th Doha Forum for Policies and Strategies” organised by the Center for Strategic Studies of the Armed Forces in collaboration with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies began yesterday under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs H E Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah.
The Forum is a fertile environment for intellectual approach, bringing together experts, thinkers and decision-makers, as well as representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations from around the world to discuss various current issues, through sessions addressing the challenges and events in the Middle East.
Major General Dr Hamad Mohammed Al Marri, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, has said that stability in the Middle East is at a critical stage threatening the stability of the countries and threatening the coexistence of peoples of these countries with their various ethnic and religious components.
He was addressing the opening session of two-day 6th Doha Forum yesterday.
In his speech at the opening of the forum, Major General Dr Hamad Mohammed Al Marri said that various crises that had been burning for years had turned the Middle East into a major humanitarian crisis that called for urgent action with the spirit of international responsibility to work towards settling these conflicts and ensuring the return of the displaced and refugees to their countries, cities and villages.
“There are intellectual transformations at the political, economic and military levels, that require not to go unnoticed by centres of strategic studies, experts and intellectuals,” he said.
Dr Al Marri said that the Gulf crisis is one of the most important issues of this forum, describing it as a shock to everyone including politicians, analysts or experts, stressing that it has a great negative impact on the GCC countries.
He said that the stable image of the Gulf states for decades had been shaken. “After the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emerged as a collective force that could fill the strategic vacuum in the region after the Arab revolutions and managed to lead the joint Arab action in many files, the signs of the Gulf crisis, which brought us to what we are now, have emerged, which has caused great concern for the stability of the Gulf states and the Arab nation.”
“This is the beginning of the great efforts that are aware of the seriousness of the crisis, led by the mediation of Emir of the sisterly State of Kuwait H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah,” he said, stressing that despite the difficulties and obstacles encountered by the mediation, the Emir of Kuwait made strenuous efforts to resolve the crisis, an effort appreciated by all.
