UAE President, Mohammed bin Rashid welcome UAE guests attending WGS 2024MIKDAD IN A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH ABDOLLAHIAN: IDENTICAL VIEWS REGARDING THE SUPPORT THAT SHOULD BE PROVIDED TO PEOPLE IN GAZA

DUBAI: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, welcomed guests who arrived in the UAE to attend the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2024, which kicks off tomorrow under the theme 'Shaping Future Governments'.The three-day event will be attended by over 25 heads of state and governments, 140 government delegations and over 85 international organisations, along with distinguished participation of thought leaders, experts and more than 4,000 attendees.President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said the UAE continues its efforts to promote cooperation between world governments, stemming from the belief that current challenges can only be navigated through joint efforts and a collective commitment to unified visions that will see the world to a safer, more prosperous future.'The World Governments Summit is the UAE's responsible invitation to the whole world, to join the dialogue, share knowledge and invest in new ideas and creative energies that are capable of creating innovative solutions to development challenges, and meet peoples' expectations of a good life and a better future,' His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said.His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum noted that the World Governments Summit has transformed, over its life span of 11 years, into a unique global forum that generates inspiring ideas, celebrates success stories and highlights the knowledge-based aspects of government work.'The UAE believes that real governments are capable of translating people's ambitions into a sustainable reality. When government work is afflicted with stalling and procrastination, when it is dependent on happenstance, these are signs of the end of development, and the end of human civilization itself. When governments fail to deliver their mission of leading and enacting change, they waive their entitlement to the present and the future; they retire from life,' His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said.WGS will host 110 interactive dialogues and sessions with over 200 prominent speakers, including presidents, ministers, and visionaries, alongside 23 ministerial meetings and executive sessions welcoming over 300 ministers and an elite group of Nobel laureates.The summit is set to launch around 25 strategic reports in collaboration with think tanks, academic and research bodies addressing global trends across key sectors. Additionally, 15 global forums focusing on strategising and future planning in vital sectors will be organised in partnership with international organisations and world tech companies to address challenges across the world.A host of panel discussions and dialogues will be held during the Summit, including roundtables bringing together heads of state, officials, thought leaders and representatives of international organisations and the private sector, all working together to boost cooperation and identify solutions to future challenges.A number of high-level ministerial meetings are also planned during the event, including Arab finance ministers meeting; a meeting of energy ministers and a meeting of ministers involved in sustainable development.Highlighting six main themes focusing on various key issues from government work and artificial intelligence to health and education, the World Governments Summit will present several global awards celebrating ministers and private sector players for their outstanding contributions to a better world. It will also launch the Global Survey of Ministers, where ministers from across the globe are invited to share their ideas on crucial global issues and collaborate on creating solutions.Source: Emirates News AgencyDamascus, SANA - Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad , met with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, in Damascus.In a press conference held by the two sides following the meeting, Minister Mikdad said 'The Iranian delegation held detailed discussions with President Bashar al-Assad, which dealt with all developments in the region, especially the heroic steadfastness of our people in the Gaza Strip,'.Minister Mikdad said that the views of our two countries are identical in the support that must be provided to our people in the Gaza Strip in the face of genocide committed by the Israeli occupation'.Mikdad stressed the need for the American and Turkish occupation forces to leave Syrian territory, stressing that the crimes committed by these forces are crimes against humanity and they must be held accountable for them.The minister said that the repeated aggressions by the Zionist entity on Syrian lands were caused by Syrian resistance to this entity and its plans since its establi shment on the land of Palestine.For his part, Abdollahian said 'I discussed with President al-Assad the latest developments in the region and regional and international issues, and there is a will among the leadership of our two countries to achieve remarkable progress in cooperation in various economic, commercial and industrial fields.'.Abdollahian added: 'I conveyed an official invitation from Ebrahim Raisi to President Assad to visit Iran.'.The Iranian Minster condemned the illegal presence of the US forces on Syrian territory, expressing his condolences to the Syrian people for the victims of the recent American aggression.Abdollahian affirmed his country's rejection of the Zionist entity's plans to forcibly displace the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, stressing that this entity's attacks in the region will not remain unanswered.Source: National News Agency - Lebanon