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Is opening of Jordanian-Syrian crossing politically motivated?

Jordan reopened the Naseeb-Jaber crossing with Syria to restore trade movement, although some do not see any economic benefits for the Syrian government.
Vehicles wait to cross into Syria at the recently reopened Naseeb border post in Daraa province, at the Syrian-Jordanian border south of Damascus, Nov. 7, 2018.

Ever since the Syrian government took control of the southern regions in Syria, which include the province of Daraa and Quneitra, it has conducted several meetings with the Jordanian side to reactivate the trade activity across the border. These meetings reached a fundamental step in October 2018 with the reopening of the Naseeb-Jaber border crossing, only to be closed again in mid-August 2020 due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 17, Jordan reopened the Naseeb-Jaber crossing with Syria to restore commercial and individual movement based on the recommendations of the Jordanian Field and Border Crossings Committee. This came after an agreement was concluded between the Syrian and Jordanian sides during the visit of the chairman of Jordan’s Chamber of Commerce, Nael al-Kabariti, to Damascus on April 3. Soon after the crossing’s reopening, the Jordanian Minister of Interior, Brig. Gen. Mazen al-Faraya, sent a letter to the director of Jordan’s Public Security asking him to facilitate the movement of passengers and trucks across the land borders with Syria while respecting the health protocol.

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