Qatar participated in the 37th session of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers, held Wednesday at the headquarters of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Alexandria, Egypt.
First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the Arab League Khaled Abdullah al-Ebrahim led Qatar's delegation at the meeting. In Qatar's speech at the meeting, al-Ebrahim said that while Qatar is pleased with the fruitful co-operation it found during its presidency of the previous session, it wishes this new session success in enhancing Arab co-operation in the fields of transportation and logistics, supporting efforts aimed at developing the transportation infrastructure in the Arab region, and enhancing economic integration among Arab member states, in a way that serves the achievement of sustainable development goals.
He pointed out that the session's agenda is full of vital and modern issues that keep pace with the global boom in the fields of transportation, including the Arab mechanism, database, and artificial intelligence technology in developing the transportation sector and establishing a supply chain for green hydrogen, establishing a special Arab agency for maritime safety, in addition to establishing a regional center for managing ship traffic in the Bab Al Mandab Strait in the Red Sea, and other issues of exchanging exemptions from taxes and customs duties, which enhances cooperation in the transportation sectors among Arab countries.
He pointed out that, in implementation of the previous recommendations of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers, a workshop will be held to develop an integrated supply chain for green hydrogen as a step toward achieving sustainable development and enhancing the sustainability of the transport sector in Arab countries, which will contribute to achieving optimal utilization of clean energy sources and creating a sustainable economic environment in the Arab region. He voiced Qatar's wishes for success for this session and its support for all joint work programs in the field of transport in all its sectors.
At the conclusion of Qatar's speech, al-Ebrahim handed over the presidency of the session of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers from Qatar to the State of Palestine, voicing Qatar's wishes for Palestine to succeed in its responsibilities in chairing the current session.
In the same context, the Arab Ministers of Transport voiced their thanks to Qatar for its efforts during its presidency of the previous session of the Council, expressing their wishes for success for the sisterly State of Palestine on the occasion of its assumption of the presidency of the current session.
In remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), HE Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Economic Affairs Sector at the Arab League Ambassador Ali bin Ibrahim al-Malki praised Qatar's role during its presidency of the previous session of the council. In this regard, he noted the various efforts made by Qatar in this significant field, which contributed to the issuance of decisions that serve joint Arab action.
He pointed out that Qatar is one of the advanced countries in the field of transportation and communications in general, which was greatly reflected in its presidency of the previous session of the council. He voiced his hope that the current session of the council would succeed in developing joint Arab cooperation and formulating a new vision in line with the events taking place in the Arab region.
The AASTMT will host Thursday an Arab-European workshop in cooperation with the European Union and the Transport and Tourism Department of the Arab League on preparing an integrated study for the green hydrogen supply chain establishment project, during which pioneering experiences in the field of green hydrogen for the State of Qatar and a number of Arab countries will be reviewed.