Tehran - During a tripartite meeting held in Tehran, the Director of the General Organization of Railways, Dr. Najeeb Al-Fares, discussed with his Iranian counterpart, Said Rasouli, and Iraqi Jawad Kazim ways to enhance joint cooperation in the field of linking railways and increasing transit and development of import and export between the three countries.

Mr. Rasouli announced during the meeting that the project of linking the Imam Khomeini port on the Iranian side of the Gulf waters with the port of Lattakia on the Mediterranean Sea was discussed, pointing out that the project of linking the Iranian cities of Shalmgeh and Basra, 32 kilometers, will begin after about three months. The implement and funding will be from Iranain side. The project will be completed by linking Shalmgeh port of Imam Khomeini and linking Basra with the port of Lattakia.

For his part, Al-Fares noted that Syria recognizes the importance of linking the three ports among those countries, which will contribute to strengthening trade relations between them.

The Deputy Minister of Roads, Khairullah Khadmi, who attended the tripartite meeting called to accelerate the start of the project to link the cities of Shalmgeh and Basra, whereas the agreement was signed  during the visit of Iranian President Hassan Rowhani to Iraq in March.

Sh. Kh.

New Delhi- Indian Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Pori has confirmed his country's readiness to contribute to the reconstruction process in Syria, noting the strong relations between the two friendly countries.

During his meeting with Syrian Ambassador to India, Dr. Riyad Abbas, Singh stressed that his country looks forward to cooperating with Syria and providing all assistance in the reconstruction process in the field of infrastructure, smart cities, sanitation and other development projects.

For his part, Dr. Abbas expressed his appreciation for the Indian government and the people for the support of Syria in the face of the terrorist war and welcomed the participation of India in the reconstruction process.

Sh. Kh.

Damascus- A delegation of Russian businessmen, currently visiting Syria, discussed with the Damascus and Damascus countryside Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in two separate meetings, ways to enhance economic and trade cooperation and overcome obstacles.

The delegation of Russian businessmen represents 11 regions in Russia and seeks to establish partnerships with the Syrian side, according to the head of the delegation, Igor Matveev, talked about the existence of possibilities and broad areas of cooperation between the two countries, pointing out that these meetings provide room for the promotion and development of joint trade.

"We are very optimistic about this visit and we are working to invest all opportunities available to enhance and contribute to the consolidation of relations between the two countries," the head of the Russian delegation said.

For his part, the head of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce, Ghassan Al-Qalaa called for the establishment of a commercial banking company to pay the value of goods exchanged between the two countries and find a permanent means to ship goods by sea rather than land lines, stressing the importance of mutual visits between the businessmen of the two countries and the participation of Russian companies in Damascus International Fair.

A number of members of the Board of Directors of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce expressed their readiness to cooperate and develop relations with Russian businessmen in light of the eastward direction in Syria's trade and economic relations, calling on the Russian side to work to reduce the indicative prices of Syrian goods exported to Russia to enable them to compete.

For his part, the Chairman of the Chamber of Industry of Damascus and its Countryside, Samer Al-Dibs, pointed to the need to establish strategic industrial companies between businessmen from both countries and the diversification of economic, trade and investment cooperation.

While a number of members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber called for the development of cooperation, especially in the food industry and to facilitate the entry of Syrian goods to Russia and grant them the necessary exemptions and the creation of branches of Russian companies in Syria.

Sh. Kh.

(ROME)- The General Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has held its 41st session in Rome to discuss a number of important issues that characterize the state of food and agriculture in the world, most notably migration, agriculture and rural development with the participation of representatives from 194 countries including Syria.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Eng. Ahmed Al-Qadri delivered a speech today before the conference stressing that Syria entered the recovery and reconstruction phase through government support and to invest every inch of liberated territories of terrorism, despite the extensive damage and procedures of forced illegal unilateral coercive measures adopted by some countries against Syrian people that led to higher input production costs..

Eng. Al-Qadri pointed to the negative effects of the terrorist war against Syria, which hindered the achievement of agricultural renaissance because of the destruction of the work system in productive institutions and research centers, indicating that the Syrian government is conducting its constitutional duty towards the peasants in order to support their stability and provide their livelihoods.

The Minister of Agriculture presented several issues, the most important of which are the problem of climate change, the succession of drought seasons, the negative impacts of the drought and the importance of finding suitable solutions, noting the work with FAO through the implementation of a number of development projects and the necessity of developing cooperation to serve the development of the agricultural sector and support the stability of farmers in their villages and improve their standard of living.

On the sidelines of the conference, Mr. Al-Qadri discussed with the Director of the Emergency, Rehabilitation and Operations Department of the FAO, Dr. Dominic Burgin, the enhancement of cooperation between the Ministry and the Organization to serve the agricultural work in Syria.

During the meeting, Mr. Al-Qadri called for the Organization's contribution to ensure the support of farmers who return to their areas, taking into account the reality of the agricultural sector and the extent of the damage caused by terrorism.

For his part, Mr. Burgin stressed the organization's readiness to participate in preparing the data and studies showing the extent of need for project development and intervention programs to improve the livelihoods of farmers, pointing out that coordination will be conduct with the organization's office in Damascus to prepare these studies.

Participants in seven-day conference, which kicked off in the 22nd of June, discuss topics such as the case of agriculture, food, migration, rural development, and the International Code of Conduct on the use of fertilizers and sustainable management and the promotion of health patterns and prevention of all forms of malnutrition.

Sh. Kh.

DAMASCUS- More than 212 companies and agents of international companies representing 48 Arab and foreign countries will hold three specialized exhibitions in information technology, telecommunications and construction next Tuesday at the Grounds of Damascus International Fair.

The exhibition will be held in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Technology, the Exhibition of Heating, Air Conditioning, Water and Renewable Energies (HVACW), the Infrastructure Building and Construction Exhibition (Build up) Furniture, Decoration and Home Furnishings Suite (Lifestyle)

The three exhibitions, which will continue until the 29th of this month, aim to create an effective platform for direct communication between national, Arab and foreign companies, according to one of the company's managers, Hala Sharbaji, who pointed out that the specialized exhibitions contribute to shed light on the latest developments related to new products, in the field of construction, informatics and smart cities in addition to exchanging experiences, promoting and marketing the products of companies and concluding business deals.

Mrs. Sharbaji pointed out that dozens of companies and agents from Germany, France, Italy, China, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and Jordan have proved their participation in exhibitions.

Sh. Kh.