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00:00Of course, we divide the Arab trade into two parts,
00:03Arab trade with the world and Arab trade with the Arab world.
00:07Perhaps the Arab trade with the world is reasonable and acceptable,
00:12and it grows well.
00:15What we are more interested in now is the Arab trade between the two worlds.
00:21Because we need the Arabs to be more cooperative and exchange
00:27goods and services from the current situation.
00:30The current situation may not exceed 10% of the Arab trade.
00:35We need, of course, that this number doubles to 20%,
00:39to 25%, and to 30%.
00:42The challenge is very big because for many years,
00:45and this is a circle, the Arab trade between the two worlds is weak.
00:49Maybe agreements were made, conferences and meetings were made.
00:54They were always trying to strengthen the Arab trade between the two worlds.
00:58But this has not been achieved.
01:00I think that this lack of achievement is due to reasons.
01:03If we treat it, we may be able to achieve this double.
01:07The first thing is that the transportation and logistics system
01:10required to strengthen the Arab trade is not at an acceptable level.
01:16We are 22 Arab countries.
01:18All of them rely on ports, seas and oceans.
01:22All of them are exclusive, but the sea transportation
01:25only takes a very small percentage of the transportation.
01:28It may not exceed 10%.
01:31This means that we transfer our trade at a very high cost between the Arab countries.
01:35The second thing is that the Arab trade agreements
01:38are agreements that have been approved to liberate the Arab trade,
01:42but have freed the same-sex problems in the democratic definition.
01:47But the biggest problem is the same-sex problems
01:50that have to do with non-definitive obstacles.
01:53Problems that have to do with the development agreements.
01:56Problems that have to do with certificates
01:59that have to do with quality and specifications, etc.
02:03It is very important to unify these issues so that things become easier.
02:08The third thing is that the transportation and transportation
02:11between the Arab countries is a difficult matter.
02:14Even if it was not possible to open it to the general public,
02:18we are still calling for a kind of passport
02:23for the employed businessmen
02:27with certain mechanisms so that the Arab businessmen
02:31can move from one Arab country to another
02:34with much less obstacles.
02:37This can be done by mechanisms guaranteed by the Arab Chambers Union
02:40through the Arab Chambers in all countries
02:43and approved by the interior ministries
02:46so that the Arab businessmen can move for 4 or 5 years
02:50as it happens in European countries.
02:53So that there is work and trade,
02:56there can be no need to delay entry every time.
03:00What are the main sectors that Arab countries should take care of
03:04to develop their trade,
03:06or even trade with foreign countries,
03:08if you can give us some data?
03:10All Arab countries are young countries,
03:13and they have a lot of young people,
03:16more than 40%.
03:19Young people in many Arab countries
03:22have a reasonable level of culture and education.
03:25The percentage of internet access is very high,
03:28and the percentage of using mobile phones is very high.
03:31This means that if we want to move fast
03:34and make quick profits, we want to move in digital,
03:37we want to move in information technology,
03:41but we also want to move in the trade of services.
03:44The trade of services is a very important area,
03:47which can lead to developments,
03:50whether in the Arab trade or in trade with the world.
03:53Of course, we need to have a infrastructure
03:56of agreements that facilitate this,
03:59and we also need technological cooperation with these countries.
04:02What is the percentage of Arab countries
04:04in the trade of services around the world?
04:06The percentage in Arab countries is modest,
04:09which is less than 10%.
04:12These are very modest percentages,
04:15because we can achieve a big leap in a short period of time.
04:18The trade of services, as I said,
04:21is a trade that has to do with digital and technology,
04:24but also has to do with tourism,
04:27has to do with the component of the service
04:30that is present in each product.
04:33Because all the products now,
04:36the products are integrated with the service,
04:39so you can't separate the product from the service.
04:42We can invest more in this area.
04:45The impact of geopolitical conflicts
04:48on the Arab trade and even the Arab trade with the world countries,
04:51as we saw the conflicts of the Suez Canal,
04:54the suspension of the salt movement,
04:57tell us more about your opinion on this matter
05:00in the Arab trade and also in the Arab trade in the world.
05:04Not only on the Arab trade with the world,
05:07or the Arab-Arab trade, but also on international trade.
05:10It is enough for you to know that the Suez Canal
05:13has been affected by more than 40%
05:16due to the events that take place in the Red Sea.
05:19This has affected the cost of oil globally,
05:22because the Suez Canal transports most of the world's oil,
05:25we reach about 15% or 20%
05:28of the tankers that pass.
05:31And about 25% or 30% of the containers,
05:34that is, the shipping trade, pass through the Suez Canal.
05:37This has affected the whole world and its prices.
05:40But the world has learned something new,
05:43something that I call the new normal.
05:46It is normal to live with disasters and problems.
05:49The whole world, not just the Arab region.
05:52Starting with COVID-19,
05:55going through the crisis of Ukraine and Russia,
05:58to what is happening now.
06:01It has developed its supply chains,
06:04which have become shorter than before.
06:07And it has started to move in a different direction
06:10from the direction of the world in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
06:13There is a new direction.
06:16The Arab region can benefit from it very much
06:19by starting to develop core points
06:22and logistical bases for added value
06:25in the Arab region.
06:28All of this is in line with what we said
06:31in the first part of the interview.
06:34Because all of this can lead us to new possible and fast horizons.
06:37Finally, what are your expectations
06:40for the growth rate of the Arab trade during 2024?
06:43I think that the Arab trade,
06:46in order to increase it,
06:49may achieve an increase of about 3% or 4% this year.
06:53This is a 100% increase in the Arab trade.
06:56This is a hope, not an expectation.
06:59But we have to work on it very much.
07:02By the way, there is a continuous growth,
07:05but our ambition is to make it much bigger.