TUNIS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia and Palestine signed here on Thursday five agreements on cooperation in the industrial field, said the Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy in a statement.
The agreements, signed by Tunisian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Fatma Thabet Chiboub and her Palestinian counterpart Arafat Asfour, aim to enhance the bilateral partnership in scientific and technical cooperation, accreditation and recognition of conformity certificates and quality marks, said the statement.
They also cover the exchanges of expertise and experience between the Tunisian National Institute of Standardization and Industrial Property and its Palestinian counterpart, said the statement.
During the signing ceremony, Chiboub said the agreements "are considered as one of the distinguished mechanisms to link the industrial cooperation relations between the two countries," according to the statement.
Tunisia supports "the efforts of the Palestinian state to win the battle of development and construction," she said.
For his part, Asfour stressed the importance of achieving economic integration between the two countries.
He said that "the future belongs to the Palestinian state and that its government is striving to consolidate economic relations with Tunisia and draw inspiration from successful experience."
The signing of the agreements came a day after the two ministers met in Tunis to discuss bilateral cooperation. ■