Syria, India keen on promoting cooperation, says Syrian delegation to 6th Conference of Arab-Indian Partnership

New Delhi, (ST) – In the Indian capital, New Delhi, the activities  of the 6th Conference of the Arab-Indian Partnership concluded on Wednesday in the presence of representatives of most Arab countries, including Syria.

The Syrian delegation was led by Dr. Fadi Al-Khalil, Head of the Planning and International Cooperation Authority, and comprised the Syrian Ambassador to New Delhi, Dr. Bassam Al-Khatib, Minister Counselor at the Syrian Embassy Manal Kaddoura and a number of Syrian businessmen.

In his speech at the closing session of the 2-day conference, Dr. Al-Khalil spoke about the importance of historical relations between India and the Arab world, and the need for cooperation between the two sides in all fields. He also praised the bilateral relations between India and Syria, which have grown over the past decades. He pointed to the importance of investing in Syria and ways to benefit from opportunities granted by the Syrian government to foreign and Arab investors in many economic and social sectors, infrastructure and public services.

Al-Khalil said: These strong relations are evidence of the desire of both India and Syria to boost them, through cooperation and through signing many agreements and MoUss. These bilateral relations culminated with the current visit by the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Velamveli Muralidharan to Syria, as well as the appointment of an accredited ambassador of the Republic of India in Syria.

Al-Khalil thanked the Indian government, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the General Secretariat of the Arab League Council for their invitation and organization of this conference.

In his turn, Ayman Al-Basha, the treasurer of the Aleppo Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Federation of Chambers participated in a session on alternative energy and encouraged Indian companies to invest in the field of renewable energy, exchange experiences and benefit from Syria’s geopolitical position and the incentive package available to foreign investors in Syria.

The Undersecretary of the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Arab Relations, Awsaf Syed praised the Arab-Indian relations. He called on Arab countries to invest in India and strengthen relations with the Arab world.

Raghda Sawas