Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq agree to enhance trade exchange and establish a private company to market agricultural products

Beirut (ST): The Ministers of Agriculture in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq agreed to enhance trade exchange between the four countries by exchanging documents on the possibility of establishing a private joint company working to market agricultural products among themselves according to the agricultural calendar that will be adopted later, or establishing joint marketing associations between agricultural associations and government support from them by giving it preferential considerations and advantages, or both.

In the final statement issued today on the work of their quartet meeting in Beirut, the Syrian Ministers of Agriculture, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatna, Lebanese Dr. Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, Iraqi Engineer Muhammad Karim Al-Khafaji, and Jordanian Engineer Khaled Al-Hanaifat stressed the need to develop unified models for phytosanitary and veterinary health certificates among the four countries based on international standards and to the detailed regulations for the foundations and criteria for granting each of them.

The ministers agreed to adopt the draft memorandums of understanding submitted by the Syrian side as an initial paper to be reviewed and comments made in accordance with the regulations followed in each country to be reformulated to represent the vision of the common countries and to be jointly signed.

K.Q.