Damascus, SANA – Minister of Agriculture in caretaker government, Muhammed Hassan Qatana, discussed on Monday with Iraqi Agriculture Ministry’s delegation headed by Director General of Horticulture Department, Hadi Hussein, ways of developing agriculture relations between the two countries and enhancing trade exchange of products to achieve integration between them.

Qatna pointed out the importance of the quadripartite agreement between Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon as it the nucleus of an Arab economic agreement that would enhance trade and technical exchange, unify agricultural and veterinary quarantine systems, establish unified certificates of origin between the four countries, facilitate the arrival of products, and organize and reduce fees.

The minister expressed the ministry’s readiness to cooperate in the field of securing production requirements, and confronting climate change, as well as the production of fruitful, forestry and pastoral seedlings, and exchanging expertise in land reclamation.

He pointed out the joint Syrian-Iraqi project in the field of confronting sand and dust storms through the rehabilitation of the desert, pastures and degraded sites.

For his part, head of the Iraqi delegation indicated that all proposals will be transferred to the Minister of Agriculture in Iraq, noting the historical relations between Syria and Iraq and the necessity of developing them and activating the quadripartite agreement to serve two countries’ interests.

Noura /Shaza Qreima