President of the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities "APLA", Abdelkarim Al-Zubeidi, held a meeting with the Consul General of France, René Troccaz at Salfit Municipality, with the aim of introducing him to the reality of Palestinian local authorities and the nature of challenges facing their work, as well as discussing means of enhancing the joint cooperation, especially with regards to holding the 5th Palestinian French Decentralized Cooperation Conference in May.
Al-Zubeidi welcomed the Consul General and the accompanying French delegation, praising the French stance in support of the Palestinian people in general, and the active relations between Palestinian local authorities and their French counterparts, as well as its vital projects that meet the needs of Palestinian cities and villages. Moreover, he valued the advanced stances of some French municipalities of adopting sensitive issues. Furthermore, Al-Zubeidi introduced the French delegation to the reality of Palestinian local authorities and the obstacles they face.
In return, the Consul General of France, Troccaz, emphasized the importance of cooperation led by French and Palestinian local authorities, and the interest of the Embassy in enhancing cooperation through existing partnership with APLA and the conference intended to be convened during this year, confirming the Embassy's endeavor to support such partnerships and projects that may result from them.
APLA's Executive Director, Eng. Abdشllah Anati, valued the efforts and interest of the French Consulate in the decentralized cooperation projects with the Palestinian local authorities, as it supports the institutionalization of the relationship between the Palestinian local authorities and their counterparts in France to enhance partnership among them and capitalized on the experiences and expertise of both, indicating the importance of working on institutionalizing the relationship between APLA and its French counterpart through the intended conference.
