ACC calls for enhancing access of Jordanian goods to Palestinian market

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) on Saturday said that enhancing the access of Jordanian products and goods to the Palestinian market represents an opportunity to speed up the recovery of the national economy from the pandemic's repercussions.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, ACC President Khalil Haj Tawfiq said that solidarity with the Palestinian economy is a "duty" to support its steadfastness in light of the "distinguished and historic" Jordanian-Palestinian relations.

Haj Tawfiq also referred to Jordan's support to the Palestinian people and their just cause, adding that His Majesty King Abdullah "always affirms that the Kingdom will remain the true support for Palestinians".

The ACC president also called for promoting trade and investment exchange between Jordan and Palestine to the levels that meet the two peoples' aspirations.

He also lauded the "remarkable" efforts made by the Jordanian government and the Royal directives to facilitate access of Jordanian products to the Palestinian market and overcome the Israel-imposed obstacles.

Stressing the importance of facilitating access to the Palestinian market to enhance trade exchange, he highlighted the significance of revisiting trade mechanisms related to private sector institutions in the two countries, which will be reflected on the level of their economic relations.

To enhance trade movement, Haj Tawfiq reiterated the need to make more political efforts to amend the Paris Protocol to ensure the smooth flow of Jordanian goods to the Palestinian market without obstacles.

This effort would contribute to increasing the number of Jordanian traders willing to export and expands the export base to include other Jordanian industry products, he noted.

The Paris Protocol is "an obstacle to developing Jordanian-Palestinian economic relations", he said, calling for pressure on the international community to amend the agreement and facilitate the import and export process in both directions.

In 1994, the Paris Protocol was signed by the Palestinian National Authority and Israel, which curbed the Palestinian economy's growth through restricting trade exchange between Palestine and the occupation authorities in the first place, Petra said.

Haj Tawfiq noted that the ACC seeks to increase coordination with the Palestinian commercial and service sector institutions and arrange visits to Palestinian traders and importers to ensure that the appropriate steps are implemented to enhance the two countries' trade exchange.

He called for activating the cooperation agreements and protocols between the Jordanian commerce chambers with the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (FPCCIA), to serve common interests.

According to ACC figures, the volume of trade exchange between Jordan and the Palestinian National Authority in 2020 stood approximately at JD139 million.