Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Amman, SANA- The quadripartite meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture in Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon started activities today at the Jordanian capital, Amman, and will last for two days.
Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Eng. Mohammad Hassan Qatana, said in a speech that the meeting supports efforts to take clear action steps towards strengthening Arab relations, and this comes in continuation of what was started in Iraq, Lebanon and now in Jordan, leading to the signing of agreed memo of understanding.
Minister Qatana added that this memo will be a basis for achieving common interests in the field of agricultural integration and the facilitation of intra-trade movement.
He shed light on many previous inter-agreements that had a direct positive impact on bilateral cooperation between the countries.
The Minister said that today’s meeting comes to discuss the signing of a four-way agreement that outlines the road map towards strengthening joint scientific research in the fields of natural resources, plant and animal production, agricultural management, marketing of agricultural products and others.
He added that the agreement will be implemented with joint efforts between the ministries of agriculture in coordination with the study centers and Arab organizations.
Minister Qatana called on the Arab countries to join this quadripartite alliance because Arab agricultural integration is an opportunity to overcome the challenge of each country’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural products, which is a tool for achieving Arab food security.
Qatana spotlighted the need to search for innovative solutions to the problems afflicting agriculture in the Arab region and to invest in opportunities, strengths, comparative advantages, research and studies in each country to address these problems and advance towards a strong Arab economy that meets the needs of Arab peoples.
He underlined the importance of coming out of the meeting with clear work programs by facilitating the transit of agricultural products to countries and through them to other countries till the completion of the regulations for the unification of veterinary and plant quarantine procedures and the standardization of health certificate forms in accordance with international standards and local requirements for each country.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
