The Jordanian government announced the opening of the Naseeb / Jaber border crossing between Jordan and Syria starting Monday, after it was closed for nearly three years.
The government spokeswoman Jumana Ghneimat said that the Jordanian-Syrian technical committees agreed on the final procedures necessary to reopen the crossing, during a meeting held today at the border center.
She added that "the meetings led to an agreement to open the crossing as of tomorrow, Monday, the 15th of October this year." She stressed that the crossing between the two brotherly countries "is a vital artery for the trade movement between Jordan and Syria and through them to many countries."
The closure of the crossing in April 2015 was a severe blow to the kingdom's economy, which had trade with its northern neighbor in 2010 at about $ 615 million, before gradually receding because of the war in Syria that broke out in 2011.
For his part, Syrian Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Sha'ar announced "the agreement with the Jordanian side to reopen the Naseeb / Jaber border crossing."
"The Syrian-Jordanian technical committee met on Sunday at the Jabir border post on the Syrian-Jordanian border and the arrangements and procedures for reopening the crossing were agreed upon," the official told the official SANA news agency. Naseeb Crossing and the entire border of Syria with Jordan.
The Syrian Ministry of Transport announced on 29 September that the crossing will be reopened on the 10th of this month after completion of logistical preparations from the Syrian side, but Amman confirmed that there are arrangements are still under discussion with the Syrian side before the reopening of the crossing.
| Nisib border crossing is a strategic center in southern Syria (Al Jazeera) |
Meetings and welcome
Al-Jazeera correspondent in Amman Tamer Smadi said that the opening of the crossing came after security and military meetings between the two sides, after Syrian confirmed that the situation was safe.
According to the correspondent, the head of the Senate of Jordan Faisal al-Fayez said a few days ago that his country welcomes the return of the Syrian ambassador and the exchange of ambassadors, considering that Syria is ongoing and that the Kingdom seeks to restore relations.
The Nisib crossing was closed in 2015, a few months after the closure of the old customs crossing, which was controlled by opposition fighters in October 2014.
The border with Syria prior to the war was an important artery for Jordan's economy. It exported Jordanian goods to Turkey, Lebanon and Europe, imported Syrian goods and those countries, as well as tourist exchange between the two countries.