MUSCAT -- Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and Palestine Trade Centre (Paltrade) jointly held a seminar here yesterday to increase bilateral trade between the two countries. In his speech, Dr Louay Issa, Palestinian Ambassador to the Sultanate, said huge untapped potential exists between Oman-Palestine trade relations. He highlighted a number of promising areas for increased bilateral economic co-operation and hoped things will improve soon.
Khalil bin Abdullah al Khonji, OCCI Chairman, said that every effort must be exerted to enhance and strengthen the co-operation between Oman and Palestine. Speaking to the Observer, Al Khonji said: "OCCI has received an invitation for visiting Palestine. Therefore, a delegation of Omani business leaders will visit Palestine in the second quarter of this year."
Al Khonji said: "during the second Palestinian Products Exhibition (March 13-17), which was a huge success, we noticed that Palestinian products are of very high quality and are very successful international export markets." "We are keen to make sure that more and more Palestinian products find shelf space in Omani hypermarkets," he stressed. Oman supports Palestine "in various ways and supporting the economic growth of our brothers and sisters in Palestine is extremely important in that it will generate more jobs in their country", he added.
"We will also sign a Business Council agreement soon. The proposed Oman-Palestine Business Council will be an important forum to facilitate economic co-operation and partnership between the two countries," he said.
Ashwaq AbuFarha, Expert Promotion Coordinator, Palestine Trade Centre (Paltrade), of the 320 Paltrade members only 30 could participate in the exhibition in Oman. One of the hurdles is that Palestine has no functioning airport. We do not have access to Tel Aviv Airport and Gaza Airport has been closed for years".
One of the attendees said "having no functional airport in an important country like Palestine is not only a big problem but also an insult to Arabs and Muslims, who have sufficient resources and power to put an end to this grave injustice".
Despite many odds, Paltrade is determined to hold a Palestinian Furniture Show in Jordan, in addition to more Palestinian products exhibitions in Oman, Egypt, Germany, Japan and other countries, said Ashwaq.
Palestine, a land of great natural resources, has been prevented by Israeli occupation since 1948 from tapping much of its land. Israel continues to exploit most of Palestinian natural resources, while isolating them from global markets and fragmenting their territory into small, poorly connected parts in broad day light in the very presence of all champions of human rights, said another attendee.
© Oman Daily Observer 2012
