Damascus, May 28 (Petra) – Syrian Minister of Transport Yarub Badr said his country is open to direct Jordanian investments in the transportation and logistics sector, including the modernization of internal transport fleets and taxi services using mobile applications, as well as benefiting from Jordan’s expertise in vehicle technical inspection.

During a meeting on Wednesday with the Jordanian economic delegation currently visiting Damascus, Badr underscored Syria’s interest in adopting Jordan’s model for freight transport via a unified electronic platform. He noted that a Jordanian company had already conducted training workshops for Syrian ministry teams in this area.

Badr stated that Syrian ports are fully equipped to handle goods and containers in transit to Jordan and stressed the need to revive previous agreements concerning the liberalization of trilateral transport among Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. He also called for the reinstatement of the unified transit carnet and unified insurance agreement.

He added that the Joint Technical Committee for Land Transport will soon convene to address transport-related issues, overcome challenges, and enhance the flow of goods and travelers in both directions.

Highlighting the strategic importance of transport as the backbone of economic activity, Badr reaffirmed the Syrian government’s willingness to ease obstacles to shipping and transit, promoting mutual interests and regional economic integration.

He also conveyed appreciation for Jordan's continued support in hosting Syrian refugees, praising the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Jordanian people, and the government for bearing this responsibility.

For his part, President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce Senator Khalil Haj Tawfiq, who heads the visiting delegation, stressed the private sector’s commitment to enhancing cooperation with Syria and addressing existing barriers especially those affecting the transportation sector, which he described as essential to broader economic activity.

Haj Tawfiq noted the readiness of Jordan’s private sector to offer its expertise in various areas, including land and tourism transport, customs clearance, freight forwarding, transit trade, and technical training. He emphasized the Chamber’s role in developing Jordanian-Syrian relations in the transportation field to support Jordan’s foreign trade routes to Europe and Turkey via Syrian territory.

Discussions also centered on strengthening bilateral cooperation in transportation and facilitating Jordanian imports through Syrian ports.

Delegation members raised several issues, including enhancing transportation’s role in trade and investment, lowering costs, unifying truck fees, and improving border crossing procedures. They also proposed forming a joint technical committee from the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce to coordinate on transport sector issues and submit recommendations to the relevant government bodies.

//Petra// AJ

28/05/2025 14:07:52