The preparatory meeting of senior officials of the Economic and Social Council for the Arab League Summit, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on 19 May, witnessed the participation of Syria for the first time in years.
Head of the Syrian delegation Rania Ahmed said during the meeting that her country “expresses its appreciation and thanks to the Arab countries that provided assistance to alleviate the repercussions of the earthquake disaster on the Syrian people.
“Syria pays great attention to the return of people displaced by the war to their cities and homes, which requires stimulating economic activity in their areas by encouraging the establishment of small and medium-sized enterprises in various sectors,” Ahmed said. “Legislation and programs that support this and provide facilities for foreign companies that desire to invest will be enacted.
She called for “working on removing tariff and non-tariff restrictions on the movement of bilateral trade in a way that enhances the role of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area in Arab economic development.
A large Syrian economic delegation headed by Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade Mohammed Samer Khalil arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to participate in the Economic and Social Council preparations for the Arab Summit, scheduled for May 19th.
The preparatory meetings will begin on Tuesday at the level of permanent representatives and senior officials in preparation for the meeting of foreign ministers to discuss recommendations and draft resolutions that will be submitted to the meeting of foreign ministers, scheduled to be held next Wednesday, in the presence of Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad.
On 7 May, the Arab League announced its agreement to allow Syria to return to its seat after suspending its membership for 12 years following the war.
