Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA-Activities of the 4th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria kicked off Sunday at Dama Rose Hotel in Damascus.
The two-day meeting will discuss outcomes realized during the 4-way meetings held in the past year in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, in addition to means of enhancing trade exchange and food security, mechanisms to support regional projects, confront climate challenges and land degradation, and improve agricultural production in the four countries.
The meetings will also include dialogue sessions, a presentation of the strategies of the agricultural sector and the agricultural calendar of the four countries, and the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the agricultural field, followed by a day visit to research and scientific centers specialized in the agricultural sector.
In his remarks at the opening of the meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Mohammad Hassan Qatana said that a memorandum of understanding will be signed for cooperation in the agricultural field, marking a starting point towards a better future for the four Arab countries.
In turn, Jordanian Agriculture Minister Khaled Hanifat praised the strong ties between the four neighboring countries in the social, cultural, commercial, political and agricultural fields.
While the Iraqi minister, Abbas Al-Alewi, stressed the importance of agricultural integration between the fourth nations in the face of the serious challenges of climate change and the successive crises that affected the supply of cereals and food prices.
Better trade is coming to facilitate trade in agricultural products and develop technical cooperation in the agricultural and animal sectors, Al-Alaywi added.
In the same context, the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Hajj Hassan, asserted that Arab food security is a priority.
“We are here to put all our potentials in favor of a joint Arab effort, and we are a nation capable of making the future,” Hassan said, adding that climate change and global warming are issues that concern the whole world.
During the meeting that is held under the slogan “For regional agro economic integration”, the four ministers analyze ways to increase trade, support regional agricultural projects, improve agricultural production and achieve food security.
Also, climate challenges, land degradation and the strategies of the agricultural sector and the agricultural agenda of the four countries will be discussed, in addition to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the agricultural field.
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