Amman, Oct. 17 (Petra)-- Minister of Labor, Khaled Al-Bakkar, held a series of meetings with several of his counterparts from Arab and Islamic countries on the sidelines of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), currently taking place in Doha, Qatar.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry on Friday, Al-Bakkar met with Qatar’s Minister of Labor, Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

The meeting covered areas of collaboration in labor affairs and the exchange of expertise, as well as opportunities to further benefit from qualified Jordanian professionals in Qatar’s labor market.

Both ministers expressed their pride in the deep-rooted relations between Qatar and Jordan and their peoples, emphasizing that these ties have been strengthened under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two sides also discussed mechanisms for exchanging expertise in the fields of professional standards accreditation, workplace inspection, and occupational health and safety, with the goal of ensuring safe working environments.

In another meeting, Al-Bakkar met with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Human Resources and Social Development for Labor, Abdullah bin Nasser Abu Thnain, to discuss joint cooperation in benefiting from Jordanian talent in the Saudi private sector.

The discussions focused on ways to make use of qualified and well-trained Jordanian workers and on identifying the types of professions in demand to meet the needs of Saudi employers.

Both sides agreed on the importance of establishing a comprehensive database of Jordanian professionals to enable Saudi private sector employers to benefit from their expertise in the future.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Abu Thnain invited Al-Bakkar to attend the International Labor Market Conference, which will be held in Riyadh in January next year.

Al-Bakkar also met with Egypt’s Minister of Labor, Mohamed Gebran, to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two countries and addressing issues related to the organization of Egyptian labor in Jordan.

The two ministers commended the successful implementation of the electronic linkage system between Jordan and Egypt, discussed current challenges, and explored ways to enhance cooperation in vocational training particularly in the sectors of mining, natural gas, phosphates, and information technology.

Minister Gebran praised the measures taken by Jordan’s Ministry of Labor that have facilitated the affairs of Egyptian workers in the Kingdom.

Furthermore, Al-Bakkar met with Turkey’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, to discuss joint cooperation and the exchange of expertise in vocational training.

He commended Turkey for hosting a group of trainers from Jordan’s Vocational Training Corporation to benefit from the Turkish experience, reaffirming Jordan’s commitment to promoting its skilled workforce regionally and internationally, including in Turkey.

Minister Işıkhan, in turn, highlighted his country’s achievements in preparing and training youth to meet labor market needs, expressing Turkey’s readiness to further strengthen cooperation with Jordan.

Al-Bakkar also met with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Anar Rahimov, to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation between the two countries.

The talks focused on mechanisms for collaboration in workplace inspection and ensuring the highest levels of professionalism and accuracy in labor market organization. The two sides also discussed social insurance systems and the exchange of expertise in this area.

Al-Bakkar praised Azerbaijan’s efforts in hosting the fifth session of the Islamic Conference of Labor Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

//Petra// MF