The Syrian-Jordanian border crossing at Nassib (File)
In an economic and PR boost for the Assad regime, Jordan has agreed to reopen the Nassib border crossing, which carries billions of dollars of trade each year.
Jumana Ghunaimat, spokesperson for Jordan government, said on Sunday that the crossing will be officially reopened today after a three-year stoppage, hailing it as “a vital lifeline for trade between the two brotherly countries Jordan and Syria through them to other Arab countries,”
Rebels captured the surrounding area in 2015. A pro-Assad offensive in July reclaimed opposition territory throughout southern Syria.
Last month, the Assad regime said the reopening was imminent, only for the Jordanian Government to say more technical discussion were needed.
Nael Husami, head of the Amman chamber of industry, said the crossing will not yet open to normal traffic.
Before the Syrian uprising in 2011, hundreds of vehicles transporting goods between Turkey, Lebanon and the Gulf States passed through Nassib each day.
On Sunday, the Syrian and Iraqi Foreign Ministers discussed reopening of their border, according to Syrian State news agency SANA.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari is in Damascus on on a three-day visit.
Syria’s crossing with Iraq is only open for government or military use. The border with Turkey is only open into opposition-held areas.
Before Naseeb’s reopening, the Assad regime could only move goods through Lebanon, which has relied on Syria for overland connections to other countries.
