Riyadh: The Iranian minister of agriculture jihad has announced that a joint working group will soon be formed between Iran and Saudi Arabia to enhance cooperation in natural resources, environmental issues, and agriculture. Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh made these remarks on the sidelines of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, noting that joint technical working groups in agriculture, environmental issues, and natural resources will soon be established. According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Ghezeljeh added that during the discussions with Saudi agricultural officials, the two sides laid the groundwork for developing cooperation in the areas of natural resources, the environment, and agriculture. Elaborating on other programs of this visit to Riyadh, the minister said that on the sidelines of this conference, he met and discussed with officials from the agricultural and environmental sectors of Pakistan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Syria. He described such international meetings as practical and beneficial, adding that the outcomes of these meetings are useful for other countries and the relevant international organizations as a whole.