Al Sharqiya

Baghdad - ALsharqiya May 13: Iraq officially assumed the presidency of the Arab Economic Council on Tuesday, which began its ministerial-level meetings this morning. Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Amer Bisat said that Iraq is a fundamental pillar of joint Arab action and that it is trying to push joint Arab action forward by hosting the development summit, stressing that Iraq always stands by sister countries, especially Lebanon. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed the need to reach collective visions during the development summit in Baghdad to deal with the dangerous turmoil in the international economic system. In his speech, Aboul Gheit called on Arab countries to enhance regional cooperation and integration in order to deal with these economic challenges with a participatory approach. Iraqi Minister of Trade Daoud Al-Ghariri said that Arab countries are facing a critical moment in order to transform the Arab economy into a strong economy. He pointed out that the development of technology requires us to reconsider our development policy. Palestinian Minister of Economy Mohammed Al-Amour appealed from Baghdad to the international community to save the people of Gaza who are suffering from hunger as a result of the occupation preventing the entry of aid and continuing its bombing of civilians. Al-Amour said that the occupation continues His aggression on the cities of the West Bank and the storming and bulldozing of many camps, and the Libyan Minister of Trade, Mohammed Ali Al-Huwaij, called on the Arab countries to work towards economic integration. Al-Huwaij said during the development summit in Baghdad that cooperation and coordination between the Arab brothers contribute to dealing seriously with the conditions that the region is suffering from. For his part, the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Finance, Nayef bin Mohammed Al-Anzi, called for supporting the economies of the Arab countries that were affected by the conflict in the Middle East, especially Syria, and stressed the need to enable these countries to meet their needs and build their economies.