The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, met on the sidelines of his participation in the work of the Arab-British Summit, which is being held in London, the President of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce and Member of the House of Lords Minister Baroness Elizabeth Simmons. In the presence of the Secretary General of the Arab-British Chamber Bandar Ali Reda, and the Director of Arab and Joint Chambers Affairs, Huda Kashtan.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance Arab-British relations in light of the convening of the second Arab-British Economic Summit, especially in light of the enormous natural and human capabilities that the two sides enjoy.
Hanafi drew attention to the depth of Arab-British relations, and the importance of strengthening this relationship to the level of strategic partnership, in light of the changes taking place on the global scene, especially since the start of the Corona pandemic, whose repercussions are still continuing on other economies of the world. Then the ongoing war in Ukraine came to darken the global scene, which necessitates moving forward in pushing relations between countries, especially Arab-British relations, to the hoped-for level.
He stressed the importance of the role played by the Arab-British Chamber, headed by Baroness Simmons, in cooperation with the Chamber's General Secretariat, in terms of strengthening relations between the Arab and British sides. Considering that, “We need more efforts at all levels; whether at the level of business owners or governments, to double the volume of trade exchange and strengthen economic partnership, and building joint projects in various productive and service sectors, by holding summits, forums and conferences that contribute to achieving achievements and advancing economic partnerships.”
For her part, Baroness Elizabeth Simons considered that "the energy, education and health sectors provide wide opportunities for cooperation between Britain and the Arab countries," explaining that "one of the most prominent sectors that characterizes Britain and seeks to enhance cooperation with the region is the field of renewable energies, especially ways to generate them."
The education sector is another prominent area of cooperation, through the exchange of knowledge to provide young people with the right competencies for new jobs, which rely heavily on information technology.”
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
