Damascus, (SANA) - The European-Arab Conference on Support of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises kicked off on Saturday with the participation of over 400 specialists and representatives of financing organizations from different Arab and foreign countries.

Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dialla al-Hajj Aref said that supporting small and medium-sized enterprises is directly connecting to all aspects of economy, and that integrating these projects into the process of reform will lead to monetary discipline, complete employment, efficiency and flexibility in the market, in addition to motivating local and foreign investments.

She also stressed the need for a three-way partnership between the government, the private sector and the civil sector to support these projects by preparing legislations and providing funding.

For his part, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission in Syria Vassilis Bontosoglou underlined the importance of bolstering dialogue among Euromed countries in various fields, expressing the European Union's support for bolstering the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in Arab economies.

Participants in the conference pointed out to the importance of Arab-European relations and their role in decreasing the economic gap between the two sides.

They also noted that developing the business sector is a priority for Syria during the next stage, underlining the difficulties facing small and medium-sized enterprises and the role of the conference in exchanging expertise, opinions and ideas.

Participants also said that providing decent job opportunities, combating unemployment and integrating women in economic and social development in Arab countries can be achieved through local work and regional and international cooperation, adding that he European Union is the biggest commercial partner of Arab countries, as it receives 17.6% of Arab exports and provides 31% of Arab imports.

The two-day conference will be discussing expanding cooperation between the Arab world and Europe for developing the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises and stimulating Arab-European industrial investment.

The conference is organized by the Arab Industrial and Mining Organization and the Syrian Enterprise and Business Center.

Haifa Said / Idelbi / H. Sabbagh