Senate president urges pan-Arab cooperation in food security

AMMAN — Pan-Arab cooperation is essential to build the economic and investment partnerships necessary to overcome the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian-Ukrainian war, and notably their impact on food and energy security, Senate President Faisal Fayez said on Monday.

During a meeting with ministers of agriculture of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq and the Director of the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands Nasr Edin Obaid, Fayez highlighted the importance of alleviating the ramifications of various economic crises and realising sustainable Arab development, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

He added that overcoming economic and political challenges, increasing commercial exchange and investments among Arab countries, and localising the Arab capital within the Arab world all require boosting joint action and benefitting from the expertise of other countries. 

The ministers of agriculture stressed their respective countries' endeavours to realise pan-Arab agricultural and economic integration, enhancing agricultural cooperation in Arab countries and benefiting from comparative advantages in each country.

Also on Monday, Lower House Speaker Abdulkarim Dughmi met separately with each of the ministers and stressed that His Majesty King Abdullah's vision for food security, which paid attention to the repercussions of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine early on, contributed to boosting the government's efforts in reducing these crises' repercussions.    

Jordanian Agriculture Minister Khalid Hneifat, Syrian Agriculture Minister Muhammad Qatna, Iraqi Agriculture Minister Muhammad Khafaji and Lebanese Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan participated in the two meetings.