Premier urges swift solutions to unresolved Amman-Cairo issues

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Saturday called for solutions to outstanding issues between Jordan and Egypt within the next few days, to enable the joint Jordanian-Egyptian Higher Committee, scheduled to meet in late August in Cairo, to move on to a new level of cooperation talks.

He made his remarks during a meeting with Egyptian Transport Minister Galal El Saeed, where talks focused on transportation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

They discussed ways to enhance cooperation by facilitating the movement of people and goods, and boosting trade and transportation between both countries.

An Egyptian ministerial delegation visited the Kingdom last week and held meetings with Jordanian counterparts, which resulted in solutions related to the registration of Jordanian companies that export their products to Egypt, and institutionalising the registration of Jordanian medicines in the North African country.

Other outcomes of the visit included granting Egyptian guest workers without valid work permits a two-month grace period to rectify their status in the Kingdom, instead of 10 days.

Mulki and Saeed agreed to address, as soon as possible, issues related to adopting only one inspection checkpoint for vessels carrying people and merchandise passing through both countries’ harbours. 

Such a measure would contribute to saving time and effort, in addition to maintaining the quality of goods, which renders them more competitive on the market, they agreed, noting that such a move would increase the volume of trade exchange and number of tourists. 

The premier also stressed that the Aqaba Port, which was recently chosen as the most efficient port in the region and the Arab world, serves as a connection point between Asia and Africa, especially after the expansion of the Suez Canal.

The Egyptian delegation that visited Jordan earlier this month agreed to give a 50 per cent discount in Suez Canal passage fees to vessels heading to Aqaba, provided that all vessels destined to the Jordanian sole port pass through the vital canal. 

During the meeting with Saeed, Mulki urged a boost in Amman-Cairo cooperation, noting that the region is bracing for the reconstruction of several countries after the end of internal conflicts.

For his part, Saeed expressed his country’s willingness to address obstacles facing the development of bilateral cooperation, especially on the transport level, Petra added.

He also voiced Cairo’s willingness to benefit from the Jordanian expertise in developing Aqaba to upgrade the Red Sea port of Nuweiba, in addition to benefitting from Jordan’s experience in the Land Transport Regulatory Commission after Egypt established a similar regulator. 

Several officials from both countries attended the meeting.

The preparation committee for the Cairo talks met in Amman Saturday, co-chaired by Saeed and Transport Minister Yahya Kisbi, Petra reported.

The two sides discussed transportation-related issues, especially ways to ease security and customs procedures to shorten the time of clearance and inspection and remove obstacles facing the two-way trade. 

The meeting also covered the twinning project for the Aqaba and Nuweiba ports, where attendees agreed to discuss the issue in depth during the meetings of the joint technical committee for maritime transportation to be held next month. 

The meeting, which focused on the transport sector issues, is the third one between the two countries in 10 days.

It was followed by a joint press conference, during which Kisbi and Saeed were joined by Qaisar Hashemi, the representative of Iraqi Transport Minister Abdul Hussein Abtan. Kisbi told reporters that transport ties between Jordan and Egypt are “progressing and work is under way to accelerate joint procedures”. 

The three officials also attended the meeting of the Arab Bridge maritime transport company, which is owned by the three countries.