The World Economic Forum (WEF) kicked off Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland, in the absence of a number of leaders of major countries. The forum is considering the climate crisis, the global economic slowdown and other files.
This year, the Forum will miss the presidents of Russia, the United States, France and the British prime minister for their preoccupation with pressing issues in their countries.
The White House had earlier announced that President Donald Trump had canceled the US delegation's trip to Davos because of the partial closure of the US government.
Trump participated in the Davos Forum last year and had planned to attend the forum this year as well.
The Forum, which will continue until Friday, is an opportunity to meet politicians, central bank governors, heads of major companies and managers of international organizations, and host more than 3,000 participants from 115 countries.
Pompeo calls for new alliances
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who took part in the forum by video call, said the United States was committed to bringing peace to the Middle East.
Pompeo called for new alliances to ensure peace in the region.
He added that Washington needs the contribution of all countries to security needs. He pointed out that Iran and what he called "radical Islamic terrorism" represent a real threat in the region. He criticized Iranian policies towards Iraq and said that Tehran is "still striving to limit its freedom and independence."
On the other hand, the Palestinian Finance Ministry said today that the cancellation of its participation in the Davos forum due to the failure of Israel's response to several demands related to common financial matters.
The ministry said in a statement that it recently asked Israel to "resolve outstanding files related to tax transactions and commissions imposed on the tax revenue funds in preparation for any joint meetings in international forums that the Israeli side was trying to arrange."