Tunis, (SANA) – Preliminary meetings of the Syrian-Tunisian Higher Committee kicked off on Saturday in preparation for the Committee's 9th session which will be held on Monday, co-chaired by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Ottri and his Tunisian counterpart Mohammad Ghannouchi.

The Prime Minister's Bureau Manager and head of the Syrian side in the preliminary meetings Taisir al-Zoabi underlined the meetings' role in pushing cooperation forward in the fields of economy, trade, industry, investment and services, in addition to their roles in activating the signed agreements and signing new agreements to help achieve economic integration between the two countries.

He also stressed the need to increase trade exchange and remove obstacles hindering the movement of merchandise between the two countries and the need for establishing a marine line and direct banking relations between banks in both countries.

For his part, Director General of the Arab and Islamic World Department at the Tunisian Foreign Ministry and head of the Tunisian side al-Amin al-Banzarti pointed out to the development of bilateral relations between Syria and Tunisia, underlining the need to bolster the role of businessmen and the private sector and the importance of increasing participation in expos.

Several committees were formed, including a committee for economic and trade affairs, a committee for cooperation in local administration, environment, health, public works and communication, a committee for human resources, and a committee for coordination and political and legal affairs.

H. Sabbagh / Ghossoun