Ramtha businessmen yearn for ‘good old days’ of cross-border trade with Syria

RAMTHA/AMMAN — Residents of Ramtha on the borders with Syria said they are “sure” of their abilities to restore their northern district’s longtime “commercial and merchandise” attraction in short time once border crossings with Syria open.

In 2015, Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing with Syria for security reasons, while Ramtha, the other border crossing with the war-torn country, has been closed for more than five years.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) seized control of the Jaber crossing in 2015.

“I have been doing a business that I am not good at since the closure of the border crossings with Syria,” said Mohammad Smeirat.

Smeirat, now selling fruits and vegetables, said he used to have a big clothes shop in Ramtha’s central market before the Syrian war.

“I used to go to Syria, sometimes daily, to bring clothes for women and children in good prices and sell them in good prices in my shop … Now all is gone,” Smeirat lamented.

Smeirat, married to a Syrian, told The Jordan Times that drivers, ferrying passengers from Jordan and Syria, used to bring him Syrian products to sell at his now-closed shop. 

Drivers of passenger vehicles from Jordan and Syria are known in Ramtha and Syria’s Daraa as “Baharah” (sailors) as they carry cargo in their cars between various countries.

“My dealers in Syria are still ‘alive’ with their businesses still also alive … Just let authorities from both countries open the borders and we will immediately resume our trade,” Smeirat said.

“I literally have no stable business and regular income since 2011,” said Abu Ahmad Thiyabat.

Thiyabat, in his late 30s, said he is sometimes a butcher; salesman and even a wedding planner.

“I used to run a big sweets shop with my brothers in Ramtha’s main market … All sweets sold were from Syria. The shop is closed since early 2012,” Thiyabat said.

He said that some of his Syrian dealers are still in Syria selling sweets but some them came to Jordan “to do business”.

“The Syrian merchants in Damascus tell us they are eager to resume trade with us in Ramtha.”

“Yes there is a security concern in Syria’s Daraa and inward into Damascus, but with extra security preparations as with Iraq, trade activities between Jordan and Syria can be resumed,” said Abdulqader Abu Kas.

Noting that trade and doing business is “in the blood of the Ramtha people”, Abu Kas said that the war in Syria and its deep impact on his town’s economic activities has compelled the citizens there to see trade from far away countries like China.

“With no more products coming from Syria, hundreds of people from Ramtha resorted to China to import cheap products. But that is not that feasible especially for small merchants….there is the visa factor, tickets, customs, costly shipping,” he said.

Abu Kas now sells/buys cars after he had to close his business in Ramtha.

“I used to be a ‘prosperous’ salesman of household items all imported from Syria.”

For Ibrahim Al Salman, “most of the Syrian products that used to be sold in Ramtha were from Damascus”.

“Damascus not affected by the war. Life and trade there still on with no disruption,” Salman said, echoing his fellow citizens’ remarks that reopening the border crossings with Syria would “bring life to back Ramtha”.

In remarks to The Jordan Times on Sunday, an official source said that the issue of reopening of the border crossings with Syria is still not decided. 

Asked if there is any progress towards reopening the Jaber border crossing with Syria, the senior official, who preferred anonymity, said, “Nothing new yet.”

In October last year, official sources said that talks over the reopening of the Jaber border crossing with Syria were under way “on a tactical level”.

The sources’ remarks came in response to reports at the time quoting Syrian rebels that Jordan had told the Syrian opposition that it was obliged to deal with a recognised state in order to open the crossing and to allow trucks to proceed to third countries.

Rebel leaders were quoted at the time as demanding that the Jaber crossing with Jordan be kept under the FSA’s control with the deployment of an EU monitoring team, as is the case in Syria’s northern border crossings with Turkey.

The FSA also demanded that the so-called “Syrian opposition flag” be raised at the Jaber border crossing.