Minister of Public Works and Transport in the caretaker government, Ali Hamieh, received today in his office the President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghafar, in the presence of the Director General of Land and Maritime Transport, Dr. Ahmed Tamer. They discussed a memorandum of coordination and cooperation, along with agreements between the ministry and the academy, concerning maritime navigation, maritime transport, port safety and security, handling hazardous materials, and coordinating unified stances among all Arab countries during international meetings, especially those of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They also talked about the qualification and training of human resources to build capacity for the educational staff at the Marine Science and Technology Institute in Batroun (MARSAT).
After the meeting, Abdel Ghafar stated, "I am honored to be in my second country, Lebanon, and to meet with Minister Hamieh." He expressed his appreciation for "his vision for Lebanon's future and the development of its infrastructure and trade as the primary gateway to solving the economic crisis facing the world, all through vision and will." He emphasized the academy's experience, celebrating its golden jubilee this year, to serve Lebanon and its people by establishing necessary studies to enhance commercial connections between the two countries as a pathway to the world, given the significant economic returns for both.
Abdel Ghafar added, "We also discussed with the minister the memorandum of coordination and cooperation between the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, as well as how to activate, enhance, and develop cooperation and coordination in this field."
For his part, Hamieh welcomed his guest and stated, "Based on the memorandum of coordination and cooperation between the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport, which we signed five months ago, our aim is to elevate the level of maritime personnel through their qualification and training according to international maritime agreements and to open new job opportunities for Arab youth."
Hamieh noted, "The matter of Lebanese ports is crucial and vital for us," considering that "activating the Port of Beirut and rebuilding it are two indispensable foundations, as is the case with existing ports, which may also be established in the future."
He questioned the role of Lebanese ports and their future in the coming decades, particularly in light of geopolitical changes in the region, asserting that "we are about to begin preparing a scientific, systematic, and legal study based on numbers regarding port traffic from Lebanon to Egypt and vice versa, especially what transits through the Suez Canal and then to the world. To this end, we will have several meetings with the concerned Egyptian officials by July to expand on this topic, as it holds definite benefits for both countries."
Hamieh emphasized that "Lebanese ports have an advantage gained from Lebanon's geographical location, and we are working to leverage this for Lebanon's benefit and to increase the public treasury's revenue."
At the end of the meeting, Abdel Ghafar presented Minister Hamieh with a model ship representing the Pharaonic Egyptian history in maritime trade.
