Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Egypt, Jordan, Iraq Discuss Establishing Regional Center for Food Security


Thu 25 Mar 2021 | 02:18 PM
Yara Sameh

H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation and coordinator of the tripartite cooperation, chaired Thursday the Egyptian Ministerial Group in the ministerial coordination meeting virtually between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

The meeting was held to complete discussions on strengthening strategic cooperation and economic integration across the three countries.

Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi, Minister of Housing Utilities and Urban Communities Asim Al-Jazzar, Minister of Transportation Kamel El Wazir, Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea and Supervisor of External Relations at the Foreign Agriculture Relations at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Dr. Saad Moussa took part in the meeting.

From the Jordanian side, the meetings were attended by Eng. Maha Ali, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and the coordinator of the tripartite cooperation on the Jordanian side and the Ministers of Public Works and Housing, Transportation, Agriculture, Energy and Mineral Resources and the Jordanian Ambassador to Cairo.

The Iraqi counterparts included the Minister of Planning, Dr. Khaled Battal, and the Ministers of Construction, Housing, and Municipalities, Transportation, Agriculture, and Industry and Minerals.

The ministerial meeting comes after the last discussions held in August between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh.

It also comes in light of the ministerial meeting held in Cairo last December that was headed by Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly alongside officials from both Jordan and Iraq.

During the meeting, the ministers from the three countries discussed the results of the previous meetings that took place, the joint cooperation projects that are proposed for implementation and the developments in each area of cooperation.

Egypt, Jordan and Iraq seek to reach final decisions on the MOUs and joint agreements to put into practice the proposals for strategic integration and economic and development cooperation.

There were discussions of the efforts of the three countries to activate cooperation and strategic integration in many areas, including the industrial sector by maximizing joint relations across industries; including the pharmaceutical, veterinary, leather and chemical industries, as well as the rehabilitation of Iraqi factories.

The Ministers also looked into the steps that have been implemented in the framework to overcome any obstacles that could arise, while discussing the final details. Considering the political will and consensus that exists between the three governments, this will be reflected in the strengthened cooperation across commercial and industrial sectors.

The Ministers also discussed the trade relations between the three countries, proposing the export of Egyptian and Jordanian products to Iraq without trade barriers to stimulate the exchange relations.

The extensive meetings also examined the proposed cooperation projects in the energy and electricity sector. These projects are expected to enhance electrical interconnection and achieve integration in the energy and petrochemicals field, alongside oil and natural gas projects.

The meetings also included the discussions of the agricultural sector, covering food security and establishing logistical areas and regional centers where trade exchange of agricultural products can occur between Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

The involved ministers also touched on transportation projects in terms of transporting goods and joint cooperation in the housing, and reconstruction and urban development.