Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid took part virtually in the Arab trade ministers’ coordination meeting on Thursday. The session prepared for the 14th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference, set to be held in Yaoundé, Cameroon within two weeks.
Farid said the meeting comes at a critical time to unify Arab positions and strengthen joint action in the multilateral trading system. He stressed the need to restore the effectiveness of the WTO and support reforms that place development and equal opportunities at the core.
The minister highlighted challenges facing global trade, including fragmentation, protectionist measures, and unilateral actions. He called for rebuilding trust in the rules-based system and reviving the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism by the next ministerial.
Farid underlined Egypt’s priorities: advancing talks on agriculture, food security, fisheries, and e-commerce, while ensuring fair treatment for developing countries. He confirmed Egypt’s full support for Saudi Arabia to host the 15th WTO ministerial.
He also reiterated Egypt’s backing for Palestine to gain observer status, and for the Arab League to be recognized as an observer in WTO bodies. Farid emphasized the importance of adopting Arabic as an official WTO language to deepen Arab integration in global trade.
