The Director-General of the Jordanian-Syrian Free Zone, Irfan Khasawneh, announced the crossing of 323 trucks loaded with goods into Syria since the reopening of the borders between the two countries.
Khasawneh stated today, Tuesday, December 24, that the Free Zone administration is ready to extend working hours if the situation requires it, which would help expedite the entry of trucks into Syrian territory, according to the Jordanian channel al-Mamlaka.
He explained that Jordanian trucks loaded with goods continue to enter Syrian territory to meet the needs of the Syrian market, especially essential commodities.
The Director-General of the Jordanian-Syrian Free Zone expected an increasing economic activity in the industrial, commercial, and service sectors within the Free Zone, pointing to the speed of completing transactions and the readiness of the staff to deal with the increased number of trucks and goods.
These developments come as part of a series of measures taken by Jordan at the border crossings with Syria following the fall of the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on December 8.
Rehabilitation of the Ramtha crossing
An Enab Baladi correspondent reported that the Jordanian side is working on rehabilitating the Ramtha Old Customs) crossing with Syria, while the renovation process has not started on the Syrian side of the completely destroyed crossing.
The correspondent clarified that the Old Customs crossing, which faces the Jordanian Ramtha, was used for crossing between Syria and Jordan before it was closed in 2011, and is geographically closer to the center of Daraa city than the Naseeb-Jaber crossing.
Ahmad al-Khazali, the mayor of Ramtha, stated on December 23 that cleanliness and painting campaigns are being conducted for the roads leading to the Old Customs crossing to ensure that the crossing is ready at any time for its potential reopening.
He pointed out that the municipality’s staff, in cooperation with the Customs Department, has conducted general maintenance campaigns for the roads and facilities, according to the Jordanian al-Ghad newspaper.
There are two official crossings between Jordan and Syria: the Old Customs-Ramtha crossing and the Naseeb crossing, which corresponds to the Jaber crossing on the Jordanian side, and includes three lanes: one for incoming travelers, another for those departing with their private vehicles or public transportation, and the third designated for incoming and outgoing trucks.
Syrians returning from Jordan
The Jordanian Ministry of Interior announced the return of 12,800 Syrians from Jordan to their country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8 until the 22nd of the same month.
It also announced the allowance for specific categories of Syrians and Jordanians to enter and exit through the Jaber border crossing, which corresponds to the Naseeb crossing on the Syrian side.
The decision included Syrian investors and their families who hold Jordanian trade records with a certain capital, as well as Syrians who have obtained Jordanian citizenship, whether with a Jordanian or Syrian passport.
Additionally, the decision included Jordanian investors and employees of commercial banks operating in Syria, in addition to businessmen who are members of the Syrian chambers of industry and commerce, and Jordanian students in Syrian universities, provided they have the necessary academic documents.