Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan agriculture ministers to enhance trade exchange

 Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan agriculture ministers to enhance trade exchange

The Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, Syrian Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Hassan Qatna, Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, and Jordanian Minister of Agriculture Khaled Al-Hanaifat. Photo: Russia Today.

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Ministers of agriculture of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan agreed on Saturday to enhance trade exchange through possible establishment of a private joint company that markets agricultural products between the four countries.  

Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, Syrian Minister of Agriculture Muhammad Hassan Qatna, Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, and Jordanian Minister of Agriculture Khaled Al-Hanaifat, during the final statement of their quartet meeting held in Beirut, stressed the need to develop unified models for phytosanitary and veterinary export certificates based on international standards for the four countries.

The four ministers agreed to approve the draft memorandums of understanding submitted by the Syrian side as an initial paper to be reviewed in accordance with the regulations followed in each country, to be reformulated to represent the vision of the four countries.

The ministers called on the rest of the countries in the Arab World to join the discussions and dialogues between the four countries to expand the horizons of coordination, cooperation and trade exchange between all Arab countries.

The ministers decided to refer the discussion of issues related to the transportation of goods to the concerned authorities to be approved during the next meeting which will be attended by the transport ministers, to ensure reducing marketing costs and increasing the exchanged quantities of agricultural products between the four countries.

The agricultural ministers of the four countries agreed to hold the next meeting in September, and to invite international and Arab organizations working in the agricultural field as well as investors who would like to explore investment opportunities in the four countries.