AMMAN — Jordan and Turkey are eyeing better economic cooperation, especially in light of regional instability, which requires strong alliances to overcome the drop in the movement of trade, traders from both countries agreed on Thursday.

In a bid to provide a platform for discussion for the private sectors of Jordan and Turkey, the Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) organised meetings between local companies and a delegation from Turkey’s Central Anatolian Exporters Association, which is currently visiting the Kingdom.

The meetings covered means to further strengthen trade cooperation and to benefit from the free trade agreements signed between the two counties.

With the Turkish delegation representing several sectors of the economy, talks focused on improving trade ties in the areas of cement, glass, food, steel and machinery, among others.

JCC Vice Chairman Ghassan Kherfan called for taking advantage of the free trade agreement between Jordan and Turkey to improve trade movement and increase Turkish investments in the Kingdom, particularly in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone.

He expressed the chamber’s commitment to provide Turkish investors with all information related to the business environment in Jordan in order to facilitate their work and activate agreements signed between the two countries’ private sectors.

Kherfan also pointed out “noticeable” progress in Jordanian-Turkish economic ties over the last few years and urged the private sector to establish more joint ventures to best serve the interest of the two countries.

The Turkish delegates expressed their interest in developing trade cooperation with Jordan and in benefiting from the opportunities of its investment environment, especially in the Aqaba special zone, which they described as a “gateway to the region and the world”.

They voiced their hope that the coming stage would witness more active cooperation with Jordanian businesses.

The Kingdom’s exports to Turkey reached around $80 million last year, while imports from the country stood at $667 million, according to the JCC.