Jordan keen on enhancing trade with Palestine — Ali

AMMAN — As Jordan-Palestine bilateral trade volume stands at a modest rate, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Maha Al Ali on Tuesday stressed the importance of joint work to enhance trade between the two sides. 

Speaking during a virtual symposium organised by the Jordanian-Palestinian Business Forum, Ali stressed the importance of joint work towards removing all obstacles at border crossings and those related to shipping, which affect the cost of exports, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister referred to an action plan signed between the two countries in 2019 and the formation of a ministerial committee aimed at increasing the Jordanian-Palestinian bilateral trading and joint investments, noting that the coronavirus crisis has hindered these efforts. 

She added that the ministry will follow up in this area to ensure its implementation.

Palestinian Economy Minister Khaled Al Assili said that the Jordanian-Palestinian trade volume has reached some $360 million, a modest number that does not meet the aspirations.

He called for finding solutions to advance cooperation and networking between Jordanian and Palestinian businesspeople to increase trade and investments. 

Secretary General of the Trade Ministry Youssef Shamali said that the memo signed by the two sides focusses on establishing a free Jordanian-Palestinian zone to increase trade and expanding the King Hussein Bridge border crossing.

It also aims at increasing the portion of Jordan-made products that are not manufactured in the Palestinian market and involving Jordanian companies in Palestinian government tenders. 

Noting that the pandemic has hindered nearly 70 per cent of programmes envisioned in the memo, Shamali highlighted the continuous Royal directives to ease trade and investment activities with the Palestinian side.