League of Arab States Transport Ministers call for implementation of UN trade and road transport facilitation instruments, most notably the TIR Convention, in the Middle East and North Africa.

Cairo - The IRU today presented to the League of Arab States (LAS) Council of Arab Ministers of Transport the imperative conclusions of the joint IRU, LAS and Arab Union of Land Transport (AULT) Seminar on "Arab and International Road Transport Agreements and their role in Developing Foreign Trade".

Inspired by the words of LAS Deputy Secretary General His Excellency Dr Mohammed Twaijiri, who highlighted that “the time for slogans is over, it is rather now time to move to action”, IRU Deputy Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto, called upon the 22 Ministers to hear the words of Dr Twaijiri and take all necessary steps to implement the conclusions of the joint Cairo seminar.

In particular, the IRU Deputy Secretary General exhorted Transport Ministers to join and effectively implement the key UN trade and road transport facilitation instruments, most notably the TIR Convention.

The Arab Ministers of transport, while unanimously endorsing the conclusions of the seminar, further called upon the 22 Arab States to "join the UN facilitation Conventions, in particular the TIR Convention, and to continue to cooperate with the IRU to facilitate trade and road transport in the region."

The IRU General Delegate to the Middle East and region stated, "This historic first step could not have been realised without LAS's and AULT's understanding that the only way to achieve our common economic, social and environmental goals is by working together for a better future."

AULT Secretary, General Dr Mahmoud Abdallatt, added, "the fruitful partnership with the IRU has enabled us to effectively demonstrate to the LAS and Arab Ministers, as their decisions reflect, that facilitating trade and road transport will deliver much needed economic development and prosperity throughout the Arab world, which can be the gateway to trade with Europe, Asia and Africa".

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