Hneifat attends meeting of agriculture ministers in Damascus

AMMAN — The ministers of agriculture of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq convened in Damascus on Sunday a meeting to “lay the first steps” of a pan-Arab partnership in response to the food security crisis, Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat said in a telephone call with the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Damascus on Sunday hosted a Quartet meeting of the ministers of agriculture of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Agriculture Khaled Hneifat, Syrian Minister of Agriculture Mohammed Hassan Qatana, Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Abbas Al Alyani, and the Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Abbas Al Hajj Hassan, Petra, reported.

He stressed that the threat of the global food crisis jeopardises all, and this meeting came to coordinate efforts to confront this crisis, noting that harmonisation among the four countries is receiving the attention of the leaders of Arab states. 

Hneifat added that the ministers of agriculture have agreed to review rapid actions with regard to intra-trade, the circulation of medicines and vaccines, increasing reliance on technology and working towards food security. This also includes the search for solutions to water scarcity, the spread of agricultural diseases and the difficulties of transporting and marketing agricultural products. 

The minister also referred to Jordan's “strong” relations with Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, especially as ties at the social, cultural, commercial, political and agricultural levels have always been "solid and deep-rooted".