Jordan and Syria .. Accelerated convergence and outstanding files

Mahmoud Al-Sharaan - Amman

It seems that the relationship between Amman and Damascus is moving between the slow and fast pace, and observers believe that the road is near to the return of relations to what it was before the outbreak of the revolution against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in 2011.

The Jordanian-Syrian rapprochement appeared to be clear through accelerated steps. Amman raised diplomatic representation at its embassy in Damascus following the appointment of a Jordanian diplomat as a consultant in charge of acting as acting chargé d'affaires in January.

The last steps of the bilateral rapprochement were the invitation of the Speaker of the Jordanian Parliament to the Arab Parliament Union Conference, held in Amman recently, years after the absence of the Syrian seat from the meetings of the Union, following the freezing of Syria's membership in the Arab League.

Jordanian Parliament Speaker Atef Al-Tarawneh discussed the invitation of the Syrian Parliament with the heads of Arab parliaments, Jordanian sources told Al-Jazeera Net.

"There is a need for effective action towards reaching a political solution in Syria that will guarantee the unity of the country and the people, restore the Syrian Republic's health and restore its role as a cornerstone of stability in the region," he said. The region, and a cornerstone of joint Arab action. "

The Syrian response came quickly, through a dinner for the members of the Jordanian-Syrian Friendship Committee with their Syrian counterparts, at the residence of the acting Syrian ambassador in Amman Ayman Alloush.

Economic steps
During the previous diplomatic steps, the border crossing between the two countries opened in October after a three-year closure for security reasons.

The opening of the border crossing marked the idea of ​​mutual dependence between the two sides, considering that Damascus and Oman need a lung for trade exchange after years of stopping the import and export through the crossing, according to economists.

In this regard, the economic expert Hossam Ayesh that the crossing is one of the important ports of both countries, and the impact of a noticeable effect on both countries, noting that the economic steps are still mutual shy.

Ayish explained to Al Jazeera Net that there are common economic ideas, most notably the return of work in the free zone, which is reflected on the commercial relationship on both sides of the border, and the popular visits that have slightly revived some Syrian markets.

Oman is looking forward to participate in the reconstruction phase in Syria. The Amman Chamber of Commerce has called for building partnerships between the Jordanian and Syrian private sectors to develop a mechanism that will enable Jordan to become one of the logistics centers for transporting goods during reconstruction.

Parliamentary movements
The two-party rapprochement highlights Jordanian parliamentary movements in order to strengthen the relationship between Amman and Damascus. Jordanian MP Tariq Khoury has raised files that have been pending for years under the parliament.

Khoury believes that the steps of convergence may be slow in light of external pressure or Jordanian keenness on the relationship with America and Saudi Arabia, but that relations must be restored.

Khoury told Al-Jazeera Net that Jordan's past policy saw the Syrian regime remain a matter of time and did not expect its survival. However, it has changed recently. This is reflected in the statements of Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Refugee file
Regarding the file of refugees in Jordan, the heads of the Russian and Syrian coordination headquarters welcomed in a joint statement Jordan's readiness to assist the Syrians on its territory in order to return to their homeland.

The number of Syrian refugees returning from Jordan has reached 11,198 since the border between the two countries was opened on October 15 to February 10, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

UNHCR shows Al Jazeera Net that the figure is based on matching government lists of departees with refugee data registered with them.

The kingdom has hosted more than 1.3 million Syrians since the beginning of the crisis in 2011, of which 671,148 refugees are registered with the United Nations, out of more than five million Syrian refugees in Jordan and neighboring countries.

Obstacles of convergence
The high-level coordination is characterized by obstacles, most notably the file of Jordanian detainees in Syria. A Jordanian government source revealed that the Syrian Foreign Minister, Ayman Alloush, was summoned three times over the file of the Jordanian detainees.

The source revealed to Al-Jazeera Net that Jordan presented facts about the relationship between the two sides, which the Jordanian political decision maker sees as an obstacle that is difficult to ignore or overcome, to raise the level of diplomatic representation in Syria.

The number of Jordanians detained by the Syrian regime is increasing despite repeated official contacts. Since the opening of the border between the two countries, about 30 people have been released. Seven of them have been released.