Business & Money | Tuesday 25 October, 2016 3:55 pm |

Saudi Minister of Transport Sulaiman Al-Hamdan leads a delegation to the 57th meeting of the Executive Bureau of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers, to be held in Alexandria, Egypt, on Monday.

Hamdan also heads Transport Ministry delegates at the 29th convention of the Council of Arab Transport Ministers, held on Tuesday at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.

Arab transport ministers will discuss several issues on the agenda, including road, rail, maritime, and air transport, to find ways to bolster cooperation among Arab countries to streamline transportation, boost trade, and ease the movement of individuals, ultimately serving the common interests of Arab nations.

Concerning land transport, the council will also discuss the possibility of setting common, unified standards to help prepare a draft agreement to regulate the movement of individuals and goods among Arab countries by rail. Ministers will also go over studies of possible standards for land transport training centers and the impact of professional vocational training on the skills of Arab motorists, especially medium and heavy haulage drivers.

As for maritime transport, the council will discuss the possibility of establishing an independent maritime incident investigation center. Ministers will also discuss the importance of Arab nations joining the International Maritime Organization’s whitelist, as well as the role of marine transportation in strengthening trade between Arab countries and South America.

The Council will also discuss the impact of aviation on climate change and the ICAO’s resolutions in this regard, and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, as well as in-flight law enforcement.

Other issues that are expected to be discussed include the possibility of establishing an institute to prepare leaders for top management positions in industrial and business sectors in the Arab world, with headquarters at the academy.

At the meeting, participants are scheduled to elect members of the eight-member Executive Bureau for the 2017-2018 term.

The MoT’s delegation will include Engineer Hathlul Al-Hathlul, the Ministry’s Deputy for strategic planning; Engineer Ghassan Abduljawwad, the Ministry’s Director of International Cooperation; Engineer Munther Al-Rashed; Captain Suhail Tashqandi of the Public Transportation Administration; Engineer Majed Al-Raddadi of Saudi Railways; Major General Hadi Al-Subayi and Col. Mehahi Al-Subayi of the Traffic Administration.