Qatana underlines the need to enhance cooperation between Syria and FAO

Rome (ST): On the sidelines of the activities of the 43rd session of the General Conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), held in the Italian capital, Rome, the Syrian Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform met his Venezuelan counterpart, Castro Sotildo, Chairman of the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development, Muhammad Al-Mazroui, and Asmahan Al-Wafi, Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

During his meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Qatana stressed the strength of the relations between Syria and Venezuela, the leadership and the people. He underlined the importance of developing economic relations, facilitating the exchange of manufactured agricultural commodities and production inputs, adopting the principle of barter, organizing meetings between technical and coordination teams, and setting a framework for cooperation between the two sides.

In turn, the Venezuelan minister referred to the presence of a large Syrian community in Venezuela, including businessmen, who could play an important role in developing cooperation and promoting trade exchange, noting the historic visit of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to Syria, which contributed to the consolidation of friendly relations between the two countries.

During his meeting with Al-Mazrouei, Minister Qatana underlined the importance of launching projects in the light of the existence of an appropriate investment environment, with the need to focus on the main investment areas and projects based on modern technology with a national dimension that the Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development can implement in Syria.

For his part, Al-Mazrouei indicated that Syria possesses a stimulating environment for agricultural investment of all kinds, stressing the authority’s readiness to invest in Syria in partnership with the private and government sectors.

During his meeting with the chief scientist of (FAO) Asmahan Al-Wafi, Qatana pointed to the need for a gradual transition from the relief stage to early recovery through the implementation of more sustainable development projects and the development of the Organization’s work in Syria and its alignment with national priorities.

K.Q.