Bilateral meeting with the Minister for Agriculture and Agrarian Reform of the Syrian Arab Republic - H.E. Mohammed Hassan Qatana

Rome - The FAO Director-General, Qu Dongyu, met with H.E. Mohammed Hassan Qatana, Minister for Agriculture and Agrarian Reform of the Syrian Arab Republic, on the margins of the 43rd Session of the FAO Conference.

The Minister congratulated the Director-General on his re-election and expressed his appreciation for the ongoing cooperation between FAO and Syria, emphasizing the importance of long term and sustainable projects that build on the comparative advantages of the Syrian agriculture sector.

The Director-General reiterated FAO's commitment to supporting Syria in dealing with multiple challenges, and emphasized the importance of the FAO Hand-in-Hand Initiative, which is expected to produce evidence-based indications for investment potential. The Director-General also referred to the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, which can further support Syria's olive production system and value chain.

The two sides agreed to continue cooperation focusing on both humanitarian and long-term approaches to help support the high-potential of the Syrian agriculture sector.