Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti presiding over the session in Alexandria, Egypt.
Doha, Qatar: Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti presided over the meetings of the 36th Session of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers, which opened at the headquarters of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), in Alexandria, Egypt, yesterday.
The session was attended by Arab transportation ministers, heads of Arab States’ delegations, and representatives of the Arab League General Secretariat.
Addressing the opening session, Al Sulaiti thanked the Iraq’s Minister of Transport for his efforts as president of the 35th Session of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers.
Al Sulaiti said that the session will continue the efforts of strengthening the joint Arab cooperation to reach practical solutions to enable land, maritime and air connectivity to facilitate safe trade exchange and smoothly enhance for all Arab countries and enhance the capabilities of building an Arab common market.
He added that the examination and implementation of the previously agreed upon matters and the collected outcomes will be undertaken.
"This endeavour holds the potential to stimulate the collaborative efforts of the Arab nations in relation to diverse transportation methods, as well as the execution of strategic development plans. Furthermore, it encompasses the deliberation of all agreements and reports pertaining to the regulation of ground, maritime, and air transportation," he said.
He also thanked the representatives of Arab League General Secretariat for their efforts at organizing the meetings, as well as the committees studying the topics of the agenda.
The meetings discussed numerous topics on land, maritime, air and multimodal transportation between Arab countries.
Topics discussed included regulating the transportation of passengers and cargo on roads between and through Arab countries, establishing a comprehensive Arab electronic platform for road, maritime and rail transportation, and multimodal transportation, unifying the hazardous materials transportation procedures, the draft agreement on regulating the maritime transportation of passengers and cargo between Arab countries.
The meetings also discussed a comprehensive feasibility study on establishing an Arab mechanism and database to support the shipbuilding and ship repair industry in the Arab countries.
On the sidelines of the session, the Arab League General Secretariat inaugurated the exhibition accompanying the China-Arab States BDS Cooperation Forum. BDS is the China-developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. Arab transport ministers and heads of Arab States’ delegations toured the exhibition and were briefed on some of the latest satellite navigation technologies.
In a related context, a Minsitry of Transport delegation attended the 28th General Assembly of AASTMT, held at the AASTMT premises in Alexandria and attended by Arab Transport Ministers, heads of Arab States’ delegations, and AASTMT administration. It discussed some of the agenda topics, including establishing a center for climate change and sustainable funding and an offshoot of the AASTMT in Mauritania.
