US State Department Welcomes Resumption of Jordanian-Syrian Commercial Flights

The US State Department welcomed Jordan's announcement of the resumption of commercial flights with Syria, in a press briefing on Tuesday, whereby State Department Spokeswoman Galina Porter said the United States welcomes this as far as trade is concerned.

Jordan and Syria agreed that the Royal Jordanian Airlines would resume its flights between Amman and Damascus, starting October 3rd.

Later, the Ministry of Transport added that the "Royal Jordanian Company will, as of next Sunday, provide a land transport service for its passengers" to and from Syria.

A Jordanian-Syrian agreement was reached to reactivate the joint water committee in order to follow up the implementation of the agreement signed between the two countries in 1987. The agreement focuses on activating the cooperative joint committees as soon as possible in order to maximize the utilization of the Yarmouk Basin waters.

Furthermore, the Syrian ministers of water resources, agriculture, electricity, and economy visited Jordan on Monday and held meetings with their local counterparts to discuss a multitude of cooperative initiatives. The Syrian delegation arrived through the Jaber border crossing, which was reopened on September 29 after being closed since August 1.

The borders with Syria are a key element for Jordan's economy, as it facilitates the export of Jordanian goods to Turkey, Lebanon, and Europe, while imports from those countries, as well as Syria, enter Jordan through it.