Under the Patronage of Emir H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Seventeenth edition of the Doha Forum will begin today under the theme "Development, Stability and Refugee Crisis".

Chief of the Forum's organizing committee Dr Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi reviewed the themes that will addressed in the two-day forum. He explained that the focus would revolve around the current political transformations at the international level, the challenges of economic development, investment, oil and gas issues, the political and economic role in refugee issues, and the human and legal dimensions in dealing with these issues.

He added that the opening session will be held under the title "International Cooperation and the Importance of Political and Economic Stability".  The Foreign Minister H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will deliver a welcoming speech, followed by a film about the forum and speeches by the guests of honor, he continued.

Dr. Al Nuaimi said that this year's edition of the forum is characterized by the diversity of its participants and the issues it raises, particularly the issue of refugees. He explained that the number of participants in the forum is more than 600 participants, about 400 of them from outside Qatar, including heads of state and governments, in addition to Ministers of foreign affairs, economy and investment. Several leaders, including Sudan President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir and Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Al Hariri have arrived in the city to attend the 2017 Doha Forum.