KUWAIT: Directorate General of Civil Aviation Chief Yousef Al-Fouzan on Tuesday underlined the importance of cooperation between International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and civil aviation bodies in the region, to further develop the sector. This came in Al-Fouzan's statement on the sidelines of participating in the sixth meeting between civil aviation general directors of the Middle East, taking place in Abu Dhabi.

The three-day meeting, he mentioned, will examine civil aviation issues, topics of common interest, and modes of bolstering and facilitating cooperation in the area. The event, hosted by Emirati civil aviation directorate alongside the regional office of ICAO, is considered quite significant as it is an opportunity to discuss future plans relating to this vital sector.

Meeting in Jeddah

In another development, the 14th meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council's heads of meteorological and climate services concluded Monday that was held over two days in the city of Jeddah. The meeting was led by Saudi Arabia represented by its National Center for Meteorology (NCM), in the presence of heads of meteorological services in the GCC member states and the Secretariat and with the participation of the World Meteorological Organization's representative in the Arab region, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

It said the meeting reviewed the visual presentation submitted by the NCM that includes great efforts exerted to follow implementing the "Green Saudi Arabia" and "Green Middle East" initiatives launched by Saudi Arabia. The gathering discussed common topics in the GCC framework of action, follow-up the strategic cooperation plan and joint action in meteorology and climate, it stated.

The conferees also discussed developments related to the unified meteorological law, cooperation with the WMO, and the proposed projects, including the Gulf climate statistics project, in addition to dust storms and their effects on the GCC countries, according to the agency. The participants further dealt with air quality standards and the results of the workshop in this matter in GCC member states. They affirmed their full support for the UAE in hosting the Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Abu Dhabi in 2023. - KUNA