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Ammon News - Prime Minister Dr. Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday received agriculture ministers of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, in the presence of Minister of Agriculture, Khaled Hneifat, who participated in the quadrilateral talks of the four countries' agricultural ministers.

During the meeting, attended by Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jazi and Minister of State for Government Follow-up and Coordination, Dr. Nawaf Al-Tal, Khasawneh stressed the importance of the four countries' cooperation and integration to enhance sustainable food security, adding that agriculture constitutes "the most essential component" in this regard.

The PM also pointed to the importance of expanding this quadripartite cooperation to include other Arab countries.

In this regard, PM referred to His Majesty King Abdullah II's attention to increase regional cooperation in the food security field, and to make Jordan, in collaboration with brotherly Arab countries, a regional cooperation and integration center in the food security area.

Khasawneh said Covid-19 pandemic-induced effects and repercussions of Ukraine war have mainly affected supply chains and basic commodities and materials, which requires strengthening pan-Arab integrative capabilities to meet these countries' needs of basic commodities to achieve common interests in agricultural integration field and facilitate movement of agri-trade.

For their part, the four countries' agriculture ministers stressed the importance of this meeting in strengthening agricultural cooperation, finding possible solutions to food crises and supporting and developing agri-production.

The ministers also noted challenges posed by global crises and the accompanying rise in freight and export wages, and decline in production of livestock and agricultural crops, as well as climate changes, push joint orientation to enhance principle of Arab and regional food security.

The meeting was attended by agriculture ministers of Iraq, Muhammad Karim Khafaji, Syria, Muhammad Hassan Qatna and Lebanon, Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, alongside Jordan's, Khalid Hnefiat.