The total trade between Arab countries and the rest of the world reached around US$1.27tn mark in the year 2020, according to a report published by Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The UAE, as per the report, accounted for 25 per cent of the total trade between the Arab countries and rest of the world.

During the first half of 2021, the non-oil trade between the UAE and Arab countries grew by 29 per cent to AED191bn compared with AED148bn in the same period of 2020, the WAM report showed.

Abdulla bin Touq al Marri, the UAE’s Minister of Economy called for greater efforts to increase intra-Arab trade, underlining the UAE’s support for all relevant regional efforts, made within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and the Arab Customs Union.

Marri represented the UAE in the 108th meeting of the Arab League’s Economic and Social Council, which was held on Thursday at the headquarters of the Arab League Secretariat-General in Cairo.