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Kuwait: Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud met today with Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two officials emphasized the strong ties between their countries, and the shared goals of attaining further progress and prosperity.
They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Kuwait: Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received at Bayan Palace today Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah.
Prince Faisal conveyed the greetings of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, to Sheikh Ahmad, and congratulated him on his appointment as prime minister, wishing him continued success.
The two officials reviewed the long-standing ties between their countries and ways to further develop them, and discussed aspects of cooperation.
Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya and several other officials attended the meeting.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Budapest, The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, met here today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó.
During the meeting, several topics were discussed, most notably a review of relations between the GCC and the Republic of Hungary, the importance of concerted efforts to cooperate and develop diplomatic and economic relations between the two sides to achieve common interests, in addition to following up on the latest developments on the regional and international arenas, especially the crisis in Gaza and the emphasis from both sides on the necessity of solving it through peaceful means and in accordance with international resolutions, ensuring the two-state solution.
The two sides also stressed the importance of strengthening Gulf-Hungarian and Gulf-European relations in light of the Republic of Hungary’s presidency of the European Union (EU) during the second half of 2024.
Source: Saudi Press Agency
Jordan’s unemployment rate decreased by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, settling at 21.4 percent.
The Jordanian Department of Statistics reported by Jordan News Agency (Petra) on Sunday as saying that male unemployment fell to 17.4 percent, a decrease of 2.2 percentage points. Conversely, female unemployment rose to 34.7 percent, an increase of 4 percentage points.
Comparing the first quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2023, male unemployment dropped by 1.5 percentage points, while female unemployment increased by 4.9 percentage points.
The report also noted that 26.8 percent of those aged 15 and over were employed, with the figure rising to 34.2 percent for those aged 23 and over.
Source: Qatar News Agency
Doha: The Qatar Chamber (QC) hosted a regional workshop on Monday titled Requirements for the Application of Electronic Certificate of Origin (e-CO) in the Framework of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA).
The seminar was organized by the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States within the framework of cooperation with the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) through the implementation of the second phase of the Aid for Trade Initiative for the Arab States (AFTIAS 2.0).
The three-day workshop was intended to identify the mechanisms for exchanging e-COs among Arab states. It also addressed challenges faced by countries in the application of e-COs and explored successful Arab experiences in this regard, in addition to discussing the recommendations for increasing the number of Arab countries issuing e-COs.
In the inaugural session, Director of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Department at QC, Hussein Yousef Al Abdulghani said that issuance of e-certificate of origin is
a crucial factor in developing the intra-Arab trade. He affirmed that the workshop supports the Arab economic integration, expressing his hope it ends with recommendations that increase the number of countries issuing the e-COs in the framework of the GAFTA.
For her part, Rules of Origin Officer at the Arab Economic Integration Department of the Arab League, Lamia Abdelwahed thanked QC for hosting the workshop, highlighting the Arab League General Secretariats keenness on keeping up with the global commercial developments, which contribute to the advancement of the Arab integration in the framework of the GAFTA.
Lamia Abdelwahed underscored the importance of e-CO in promoting and streamlining the inter-Arab trade, pointing out that one of the most prominent achievements of the past years in the rules of origin sector is the acceptance of e-CO by the Arab countries. She elucidated that there are six countries currently issuing the certificate of origin electronically: Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait,
and Morocco.
The first session highlighted the State of Qatar’s experience in issuing the Arab e-COs and addressed by Coordinator of the Certificate of Origin at QC Abdulatif Al Buraiki, during which he reviewed the steps of registration by companies in the Arab e-CO service, which was launched by the Chamber in 2020. He also explained how companies submit the application and verify the validity of the issued certificate.
In the second and third session, an international expert specialized in rules of origin, Dr. Tamer Mahmoud reviewed the development of the issuance of certificate of origin and its provisions within the framework of the GAFTA, highlighting the mechanisms for verifying the validity of the issuance of the Arab certificate of origin.
Source: Qatar News Agency
European stock indices closed higher Monday for the third session in a row thanks to growing expectations from investors that the European Central Bank (ECB) will decide to lower interest rates this week.
The stoxx600 index ended its trading up 0.3 percent, with Spanish and Italian stocks leading the gains, increasing by 0.7 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.
Energy stocks fell 0.7 percent, tracking the decline in oil prices, the shares of British drug manufacturer GSK fell 9.2 percent, and the shares of the troubled information technology company Atos fell 18 percent.
Eurozone bond yields fell after data showed the continued weak performance of factory activity in the bloc and its contraction in the United States last May, which helped interest rate-sensitive sectors such as real estate, telecommunications, and utilities achieve the largest gains.
All eyes are now on the European Central Bank’s (ECB) interest rate decision next Thursday, as the ECB is expected to reduce borrowing costs by 25 basis po
ints.
Source: Qatar News Agency