QATAR: President Ahmed al-Sharaa warned Saturday that Israel&#39;s demand for a demilitarised zone in southern Syria would endanger his country, as Israeli forces continue to operate in the area. Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone, which has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights since 1974. Sharaa&#39;s Islamist forces toppled Syria&#39;s longtime ruler, Bashar al-Assad, on Dec. 8 last year. Israel has also carried out repeated incursions deeper into Syrian territory since then, as well as carrying out bombings, and has said it wants a demilitarized zone in the country&#39;s south. Sharaa told the Doha Forum that Syria insists on the importance of the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, &quot;that has held for over 50 years -- in one way or another it is a successful agreement.&quot; Tampering with the deal, &quot;which enjoys international consensus and the consensus of the (UN) Security Council, and seeking other agreements such as a demilitarized zone ... could lead us to a dangerous place,&quot; he said. The United States is involved in negotiations between Israel and Syria to address the security concerns of both sides, Sharaa said, noting international support for Syria&#39;s demand that Israel withdraw to its pre-Dec. 8 positions. &quot;Syria is the one that is being subjected to Israeli attack ... so who should be the first to request a buffer zone and a withdrawal?&quot; he said. US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for a security pact between Israel and Syria, told Israel on Monday to avoid destabilizing Syria and its new leadership. The remarks came after Israeli forces late last month killed at least 13 people in an operation in southern Syria that Israel&#39;s military said targeted an Islamist group and left six Israeli soldiers wounded. The Syrian foreign ministry condemned the operation as a &quot;war crime&quot; and accused Israel of wanting to &quot;ignite the region.&quot; In November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Israeli troops deployed in the Golan Heights buffer zone, calling their presence immensely important to their country&#39;s security while drawing a sharp rebuke from Damascus and others in the region.

Middle East

President Ahmed al-Sharaa warned that Israel's demand for a demilitarized zone in southern Syria would endanger his country, as Israeli forces continue to operate in the area

Sharaa says Israeli push for buffer zone would endanger Syria

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the country remains on a stabilization trajectory under its IMF-supported program, as he outlined progress on reforms, trade diversification, and digital growth at the 23rd Doha Forum, according to a statement from the finance ministry.&nbsp;Speaking at a high-level panel titled &ldquo;Global Trade Tensions: Economic Impact and Policy Responses in the MENA Region,&rdquo; Aurangzeb said Pakistan had made &ldquo;significant progress&rdquo; in macroeconomic stabilization and was advancing structural reforms in taxation, energy, state-owned enterprises, and private-sector development.&nbsp;He noted that fiscal indicators had strengthened, citing a return to primary and current account surpluses supported by &ldquo;annual remittances of $18 billion &ndash; $20 billion from the MENA and Gulf regions,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;On trade performance, Aurangzeb said Pakistan had maintained &ldquo;constructive engagement&rdquo; with the United States on tariff issues, securing a favourable 19% tariff on major textile exports. He added that Islamabad was accelerating product and market diversification to widen export resilience.&nbsp;The minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s IT services exports were on track to reach &ldquo;$4 billion this year&rdquo; and highlighted deepening trade ties with Gulf and Central Asian economies.&nbsp;However, he warned that climate change and demographic pressures remained Pakistan&rsquo;s most serious long-term threats. The statement quoted him as saying that floods this year had reduced GDP growth by 0.5%.&nbsp;Qatari Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari praised Pakistan as a &ldquo;brother country&rdquo; and said a forthcoming Free Trade Agreement between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) would significantly expand bilateral trade and long-term economic cooperation, according to the statement.&nbsp;He highlighted existing ties in liquefied natural gas, agriculture, and textiles. He said Qatar was eager to collaborate with Pakistan in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, citing its expanding talent base.&nbsp;IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li commended Pakistan&rsquo;s reform momentum and resilience-building efforts, noting that the Fund had approved an additional $1.3 billion in support under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility, the statement said.&nbsp;Aurangzeb also outlined what he described as Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;balanced and pragmatic&rdquo; approach to relations with both China and the United States, citing progress under CPEC Phase 2.0 and emerging cooperation with Washington in minerals, AI, blockchain, and digital governance.&nbsp;In a separate bilateral meeting, Aurangzeb and Al Kuwari agreed to deepen economic cooperation and maximize the benefits of the new FTA. They also discussed strengthening long-term energy collaboration and pursuing joint initiatives in AI, digital infrastructure, and skills development, the statement added.

Economy

Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told the Doha Forum that IMF-backed reforms have stabilized the economy, boosted trade diversification and IT exports, as Qatar and the IMF pledged deeper cooperation, investment, and resilience support.

Articles tagged with "Doha Forum"

Sharaa says Israeli push for buffer zone would endanger Syria

At Doha Forum, Pakistan signals economic stabilization, trade expansion