The "East Asia Cooperation Conference for Palestinian Development" kicked off on Wednesday in the West Bank city of Jericho for the first time in Palestine.
The activities of the conference began in its fourth edition with the opening of the Minister of Economy, Khaled Al-Assaily, the "Trade Day of the States of Sibad", in the presence of a trade delegation from Indonesia and Palestinian businessmen.
"This economic forum is an opportunity to strengthen the economic and trade cooperation relations with the countries of Sibad and to strengthen the possibilities of establishing joint investments and expanding cooperation in the fields of industry and support for Palestinian products," he said.
He urged the establishment of trade and investment partnerships in the various sectors of investment in industry, tourism, ICT, renewable energy and industry, and to benefit from the privileges provided by the international agreements signed by Palestine with various countries, especially in the field of exemption from customs.
For his part, Palestinian Ambassador to Palestine Takeshi Okubo said that the Asian member states of Sibad, including Japan, are committed to continuing to provide development support to Palestine, pointing out that the conference aims to enhance economic development opportunities in Palestine.
Okubo reiterated his country´s commitment to the two-state solution and stand by the Palestinian people until the establishment of an independent state in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.
For his part, the President of the Federation of Indonesian Chambers of Commerce Mufti Hamekha briefed him on the progress of trade and industry in his country, stressing the openness of Indonesian businessmen to find partnerships with their counterparts in Palestine in order to build mutually beneficial trade relations.
The head of the International Quartet Committee, Audrey Adams, affirmed the commitment of the Quartet and the partnership with donors to support the building of the Palestinian economy and its focus on improving competition for Palestinian products and access to new markets such as Sibad.
The first edition of the Sibad conference was launched in the Japanese capital Tokyo in 2013, the second edition was held in Jakarta in 2014 and the third edition in Bangkok in 2018.
The countries of Sibad are eight countries (Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei and Palestine).
