Damascus, SANA- Local Administration and Environment Minister Eng. Hussein Makhlouf discussed with Iraqi Minister of Agriculture Eng. Mohammad Karim Al-Khafaji and the accompanying delegation means of developing relations and joint actions in the environmental domain, finding mechanisms for combating desertification and lack of rain due to the climate changes and finding necessary solutions in cooperation with the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands (ACSAD).

In a statement to journalists following the meeting, Makhlouf stressed that the two sides agreed on exchanging expertise in the field of protecting the environment, reducing pollution and desertification and activating the agreement signed with the Iraqi side in this domain in a way that serves the agricultural sector, particularly that the two countries are exposed to the same practices by the Turkish side which illegitimately cut off water and establish dams on the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.

Makhlouf indicated the necessity of integration in the work between Syria and Iraq and finding joint solutions for tackling the sand dunes and enhancing work in the fields that lead to protecting the environment.

In a similar statement, Al-Khafaji expressed hope that the two side reach mechanisms for tackling the water shortage with the aim of preserving agriculture and preventing its deterioration.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency