Budapest, (SANA)- Hungarian Minister of Agriculture has stressed that one of the priorities of Hungary is to increase trade exchange with Syria and to step up joint agricultural cooperation between both countries. In a statement to SANA, the Minister said that during his upcoming visit to Syria on Thursday he will work on developing agricultural cooperation in the fields of fruits, vegetables, freshwater, fish farming, irrigation and botany as well as other fields including animal health, food security and flora protection. He also focused on expertise exchange, agricultural investment and establishing joint companies, indicating that Syrian-Hungarian discussions started in 2000 and work group was formed for joint cooperation in fields of agriculture in 2001. The Hungarian Minister stressed opportunities of bilateral cooperation with Hungarian engineers in the fields of water, developing plans for freshwater supply, cleaning tanks, improving water quality, organizing flowing water and protecting environment. He also expressed hope that his discussions with the Syrian Minister of Agriculture Adel Safar will end up in signing two documents for joint cooperation in agricultural economy and animal health.

Haifa Said /Idelbi