Amman, Nov. 30 (Petra) – President of the Jordan and Amman Chambers of Industry, Fathi Al-Jaghbir, stressed the importance of strengthening economic ties between Jordan and Syria, saying the two countries share deep-rooted historical relations and form a strategic and economic complementarity.
Speaking at the signing of a twinning agreement between the Amman Chamber of Industry and the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry on Sunday evening, Al-Jaghbir said Jordan’s industrial sector is looking to expand and integrate economic cooperation by encouraging more joint projects and removing obstacles to trade between the two countries. He said closer coordination between the chambers would help deepen economic exchange.
At the signing ceremony, held at the Amman Chamber, Al-Jaghbir said Jordanian business leaders across all sectors are ready to work with their Syrian counterparts as partners in expertise, operations and capital during the reconstruction phase. Many Syrian industrialists who relocated factories to Jordan have succeeded, he said, and their experience could be leveraged to support reconstruction in Syria.
He added that Jordan’s geographic proximity reduces transport time and costs for exporters to the Syrian market, while enhanced coordination would also facilitate Jordanian exports to the Balkans, Turkey and Lebanon. It would also make it easier for Jordanian manufacturers to import raw materials from Syria and other countries.
Mohammad Ayman Al-Moulawi, head of the Damascus and Rural Damascus Chamber of Industry, said the Syrian private sector believes economic ties with Jordan should be complementary rather than competitive, through joint investment and cooperation. Syria, he said, needs several products that Jordan manufactures, while Jordan imports goods manufactured in Syria making a mutually beneficial industrial partnership possible.
The twinning agreement aims to strengthen cooperation between industrialists in both countries, ease the exchange of information and expertise, encourage joint industrial investments, promote networking among companies and support joint economic activities such as exhibitions, forums and workshops. It also enhances institutional communication between the chambers and the sharing of data on industrial opportunities, legislation and available services.
Areas of cooperation include organizing delegations and business visits, exchanging studies, economic reports and sector-specific information, and collaborating on training and capacity-building through short programs and specialized workshops. The chambers will also coordinate on local and international exhibitions and enable companies from both sides to participate.
The agreement also supports business-to-business networking through bilateral company meetings, encourages joint industrial ventures, and promotes the exchange of institutional expertise on chamber services and development.
Under the agreement, a joint follow-up committee of three members from each chamber will oversee implementation, hold quarterly meetings alternating between Amman and Damascus or via videoconference, and submit semi-annual progress reports to both sides.
//Petra// AF
