Damascus, (SANA)- Chairman of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce Ghassan al-Qalla invited Spanish businessmen to benefit from the investment opportunities available in Syria.

During a meeting on Thursday, al-Qalla and Counsellor for Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of Catalonia Josep Hugeut I Biosca discussed means to promote economic cooperation to help increase the trade exchange.

Al-Qalla spoke of the possibility to make use of the Spanish experiences in the fields of private-public partnership and management of small and medium enterprises.

For his part, i Biosca said his visit aims to speed up the process of trade exchange and strengthen economic relations to match up with the level of aspirations and common will shared by both countries.

He added that the Spanish delegation visiting Syria seeks to explore and study the investment opportunities in infrastructure, waste management, water treatment, railways and tourism.

The Spanish expert invited Syrian businessmen and industrialists specialized in textile and medical and food industries to visit Catalonia in order to market their products.

Participants at the meeting discussed cooperation in the fields of training and qualifications in the management of companies and hotels.

Catalonia covers 6 % of Spain and 16 % of the Spanish population. Approximately, 31 % of the Syrian exports to Spain go to Catalonia, while it makes 33 % of the Spanish exports to Syria.

Later, Rector of Damascus University Wael Mualla met with I Biosca and discussed with him cooperation in tourism, business administration and water management. Both sides called for exchanging expertise and teachers in various majors.

H. Said /Mazen