Riyadh, Commerce ministers of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) held an extraordinary virtual meeting to discuss the economic
impact of the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), citing the role of their
ministries to guarantee the provision and flow of basic and necessary commodities
to citizens and residents in their countries, assist the private sector to
enable it fulfill its role in the economy amid the current extraordinary
circumstances and assess the developments as well as the precautionary measures
being implemented by the GCC countries to curb the epidemic.
The meeting was headed by the Minister of
Economy of the United Arab Emirates Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al-Mansouri in the
attendance of his GCC counterparts in addition to the GCC Secretary General Dr.
Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf.
During the meeting, the ministers of commerce
reviewed the recommendations submitted by the undersecretaries of their
ministries of commerce, focusing on the importance of cooperation to guarantee
the flow of basic goods and commodities to citizens and residents in the GCC
countries, got informed of the precautionary measures being taken by their
countries to prevent the spread of the disease and reviewed the urgent
initiatives taken by the GCC countries to provide support for the private
sector, particularly the small and medium enterprises as well as the economic
activities affected by the epidemic.
The ministers underscored the importance of
goods smooth flow among the GCC countries so that no contradiction could take
place between measures allowing goods to move and precautionary measures
barring humans from moving as both measures constitute a common goal to curb
the epidemic. They also asserted the importance of keeping their airports, sea
ports and land exits open to transport commodities among the GCC countries.
The ministers formed a task team from their
ministries to coordinate with each other in an endeavor to follow up and
eradicate any obstacle that might face the flow of goods among the GCC
countries.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.