The UAE is committed to exert all efforts to support the growth of the Arab economy, said the Minister of Economy Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri.

Commenting on the results of the meetings of the Arab Economic and Social Council, an affiliate of the Arab League, ahead of the 22nd Arab Summit, in Libya, the minister stressed that joint efforts to further strengthen the Arab economy was a high priority for the UAE.

'The meeting was fruitful and the UAE expressed its readiness to contribute to be part of implementing the projects agreed. Arab youth, small and medium businesses, innovation and research were important topics of discussion,' Al Mansouri noted.

'The UAE is exerting huge efforts to develop the performance of youth by adopting ambitious initiatives to encourage innovation and creativity and is currently establishing incubators for this purpose,' he added.

According to Al Mansouri, the UAE has also launched a national plan to develop the SME sector to be major supporter of the economy.

'We are ready to share our experiences with the Arab countries to encourage innovation and develop the abilities of the Arab youth to be able to compete on both local and international levels,' he said.

'The meeting discussed range of economic and social issues and reports, including proposals on developing green belts in Arab countries and introducing Arabic as an official language into the World Trade Organization (WTO),' he explained.

The minister said the meeting also highlighted issues such as Arab project to link roads and to form the Union of Arab Customs.

“These topics are crucial to enhance the trade between the Arab countries and the UAE is committed to exert all efforts to support the growth of the Arab economy,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service