AmCham celebrates Jordan-US free trade agreement, economic partnership

AMMAN — The American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan (AmCham) on Wednesday celebrated the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Jordanian-US Free Trade Agreement and the establishment of the chamber.

In remarks during the ceremony, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri expressed his pride in the economic partnership between Jordan and the US, which gave rise to the signing of the free trade agreement, and "positively reflected" on the Kingdom's exports to the US market, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hammouri also referred to the role of AmCham in developing Jordan's commercial and investment relations with the US and its achievements in various economic sectors.

AmCham Chairman Mohammed Bataineh said that the US is Jordan's main trading partner for its role as it accounts for more than 20 per cent of the Kingdom's exports, helping to provide jobs and transferring technology.

He said that last year, the chamber contributed to providing tools necessary to deliver Jordanian exports to the US market and offered technical assistance to more than 200 companies. 

Bataineh noted that this year, AmCham will work in cooperation with local partners, USAID and donors to enhance Jordan's benefits from the free trade agreement, overcome economic challenges and achieve His Majesty King Abdullah's vision towards a prosperous Jordan.

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US embassy in Amman Mike Hankey said that Jordan is one of the first Arab countries to sign a free trade agreement with the US, which indicates the "deep-rooted and solid" relationship between Amman and Washington.

The trade volume between Jordan and the US has grown in the last two decades, as the Kingdom's exports have increased from $73 million in 2000 to nearly $1.851 billion in 2019, Petra said.