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ALULA: Senior officials from the Middle East and Europe convened on Wednesday in AlUla for the Munich Leaders Meeting (MLM), part of the Munich Security Conference, to discuss regional security and the US-backed Gaza peace plan. 

The opening session brought together leaders from Jordan, Egypt, ������Ƶ, and France, with a panel focused on President Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal for Gaza and broader efforts to stabilize the region. 

Panelists included the foreign ministers of Egypt, ������Ƶ, and Jordan, as well as the French envoy to Lebanon.

Amira Saber Qandil, a member of Egypt’s Senate, called the discussion “very timely” as the region navigates a multipolar world. 

When asked if the audience believed the US plan could be implemented, only about 10 percent raised their hands.

“With the US proposal on Gaza, there’s a glimmer of hope for a diplomatic solution. Many challenges remain, and hard diplomatic work will be required from all parties involved to build on this momentum,” chairman of the Munich Security Conference,  Wolfgang Ischinger said. 

The event brought together around 100 senior officials, with sessions focused on multilateral cooperation, regional diplomacy, and conflict resolution. 

The agenda also included discussions on global food security, climate and energy security, alongside efforts to address these challenges.

������Ƶ, hosting the international security conference for the first time, highlighted its role in facilitating regional dialogue and diplomacy.

RIYADH: ������Ƶ welcomed the Canadian Innovation Delegation — an initiative organized by Inovia Capital in collaboration with the Embassy of Canada — from Sept. 28-30.

The visit brought together Canadian tech companies, venture capital firms, and artificial intelligence research institutions to engage with key Saudi stakeholders, including the Public Investment Fund, Neom, Humain, Sanabil, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

It marked a strategic effort to strengthen bilateral relations through partnerships in technology, investment, and research, while promoting global innovations and increasing collaboration between ������Ƶ and Canada.

Nick Frosst, co-founder of Cohere and a guest of the visiting delegation, told Arab News: “We are quite excited about the region. (It) is a very dynamic and exciting time for the area. The investment and excitement … a vision of what AI can do for the country is very clear.

“As a leading company focused on secure enterprise AI, there’s a huge opportunity here (������Ƶ) to collaborate. We met with many prospective partners, both investors and customers.”

Frosst added: “There are many people within the startup ecosystem, like myself, who are leading Canadian startups, as well as other VC (venture capital) and investment organizations that are representing Canada.

“We make foundational language models and we make them available to our enterprise customers, focusing on secure deployment and customization, so we work with many large multinational companies, several in the region, including STC.”

The delegation also held networking sessions with the Kingdom’s venture capitalists and investment stakeholders, including representatives from the innovation hub, The Garage.

The diplomatic and economic relationship between ������Ƶ and Canada has expanded well beyond the traditional trade in oil and its commodities, and now encompasses new ventures in innovation and technology.