A high-level delegation from the French Employers Association (MEDEF), headed by ROUX DE BEZIEUX GEOFFROY, visited the headquarters of the Union of Arab Chambers in Beirut, where the Secretary-General of the Union, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, received the delegation.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Secretary-General of the Union welcomed the delegation, appreciating the depth of the historical relations between the Arab countries and France.
Dr. Khaled Hanafi presented an overview of the Union of Arab Chambers, which was founded in 1951, and the role it has played since its founding in terms of strengthening economic relations between Arab countries and with global economic blocs through the Arab, foreign, and joint chambers, where there are 16 joint Arab-foreign chambers, including the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce. Established in 1970, since then it has played a pivotal role in developing and strengthening trade relations and industrial, financial, tourism, and agricultural cooperation between economic decision-makers in France and the Arab countries. The Arab-French Chamber of Commerce also seeks to promote, encourage, and sponsor any activities that serve the objectives of the Chamber and would strengthen acquaintance and understanding between France and the Arab countries.
The Secretary-General pointed out “There is close cooperation between the Union of Arab Chambers and the French Employers Association MEDEF, which is considered one of the active economic organizations in France. There is a real desire to strengthen cooperation in the next stage, through the signing of memorandums of understanding and cooperation that will raise the level of economic cooperation between Arab countries and France.”
Hanafi called for “building a real economic partnership between France and the Arab countries, as we must begin developing a road map and the foundations that will lead us towards raising the level of economic relations. Especially in the promising sectors, the technological sectors, the aviation sector, and other sectors that would raise the level of economic relations to the desired level.”
He said: “There are great challenges, especially in light of the conditions and circumstances that the world is experiencing since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic and then the Russian-Ukrainian war. Therefore all of these challenges necessitate that we accelerate the development of our relations in a way that serves our countries, our peoples, our societies, and our common interests.”
For his part, the President of the French Employers Association (MEDEF), Roux de BEZIEUX GEOFFROY, thanked the Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers for the warm reception, noting the existing relations between Arab countries and France, which we hope will increase in the next stage.
He considered that the French employers’ organization MEDEF includes members from many French-speaking Arab countries such as Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Lebanon, as well as from the Arab Republic of Egypt. This thus helps to build strong economic relations with these countries and other Arab countries that have witnessed an unprecedented economic renaissance in recent years.
The ROUX DE BEZIEUX GEOFFROY extended an invitation to the Secretary-General of the Union, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, to pay a visit to the MEDEF headquarters in the French capital, Paris. He promised to respond to the invitation as soon as possible next December, coinciding with his visit to Paris to participate in the meetings of the Arab-French Chamber of Commerce.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
