Stakeholders call for smoother Jordan-Syria trade

AMMAN — The Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies and the Jordan Truck Owners Association (JTOA) on Sunday agreed with the Syrian International Freight Forwarding Association (SIFFA) to prepare a joint document to refer challenges and obstacles to the concerned authorities in Jordan and Syria.

During a meeting held at the headquarters of the Syrian International Freight Forwarding Association in Damascus on Sunday, Head of the Association of Owners of Clearance and Transport Companies Daifullah Abu Aqoula said that the visit of the Jordanian delegation to Syria comes at the invitation of SIFFA to discuss, identify and seek a solution to challenges preventing the increase in trade and transport between the two countries. 

Abu Aqoula noted that the association hopes to restore the trade and transport traffic to its pre-conflict state, stressing the importance of reimplementing an agreement to bolster trade cooperation between the two countries in 2009, and removing any additional fees imposed on transport and freight forwarding. 

For his part, Head of the JTOA Mohammad Khair Dawood said that the Jordanian delegation's participation in the meeting aims to discuss and facilitate the movement of trucks between the two countries without complications. He noted that failure in doing so results in a common loss for both countries' economies. 

Dawood noted that if road freight companies were reluctant to facilitate the movement of trucks and goods between the Syria and Jordan, international shipping companies would step in to meet merchants' needs for swift transportation of goods. 

Additionally, Head of SIFFA Mohammad Kishor, said that Jordanian-Syrian relations are “historic”, affirming SIFFA's readiness to serve Jordanian businesspeople. 

He also called on the Jordanian government to facilitate and ease the entry of Syrian businesspeople into the Kingdom without prior approvals. 

Kishor pointed out that the Syrian government is ready for any cooperation that will achieve the common interest of the two countries' economies. 

He said that no economy can be established in a country without transporting or facilitating transit cargo shipment, stressing the need for cooperation in this field and the removal of various fees and obstacles.