Minister of Transport H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani has headed the State of Qatar delegation to the 39th Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Transport, held today at the headquarters of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT) in Alexandria, Egypt, and attended by transport ministers and heads of delegations.

The meeting discussed several topics relating to enhancing ground, maritime, and air transportation ecosystem among Arab states.

Key agenda items discussed included the Arab Agreement to Regulate Passenger Land Transport between and across the Arab States, the Arab Agreement for the Regulation of Road Transport of Passengers and Goods between Arab States, the electronic portal as the designated online gate for land transportation information across Arab countries, a draft agreement on regulating maritime transportation of passengers and goods between Arab States, the developing of a comprehensive Arab maritime transportation agreement, and the technical committee for rail and guided transportation.

The meeting also addressed developing a unified Arab strategy for road safety, a Morrocco proposal to draft an Arab strategy for digital transformation in the transportation industry aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, streamlining services, and ensuring transparency and traceability within supply chains, and ways to support the Palestinian economy and put into effect the strategic plan for sectoral development in Jerusalem.

Furthermore, the meeting touched upon the topic of standardizing dimensions and axle-load specifications for trucks operating between Arab countries – a move intended to enhance the seamless flow of ground transportation across the region—as well as the protocol for the transporting of HAZMATs, the Arab Program for Reducing Marine Disasters, the impact of geopolitical developments on supply chains within the Arab region, and cooperation with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), in addition to mechanisms for coordinating joint Arab efforts to modernize ports and shipping fleets in alignment with International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards for green transition and decarbonization.

The meeting was attended by the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Arab Republic of Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States H.E. Sheikh Jassim bin Abdul Rahman M. Al Abdul Rahman Al Thani.