Jordan and Syria agree to reopen Naseeb border crossing

Jordan and Syria have agreed to reopen a vital border crossing between the two countries, three years after the commercial lifeline fell to rebel groups and traffic was halted.

The development comes after the border has remained closed for the past three years.

The Naseeb crossing would be opened on October 15, the Jordanian Petra news agency cited Jumana Ghunaimat, spokesperson for Jordan government, as saying.

The decision came after technical teams from the two countries met on the Jordanian side.

The passage, known as Jaber to Jordanians, “is a vital lifeline for trade between the two brotherly countries Jordan and Syria through them to other Arab countries,” Ghunaimat said, according to Petra.

However, although the crossing will be officially opened on Monday, it will not open to normal traffic just yet, said Nael Husami, head of the Amman chamber of industry.

Syria’s Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar also confirmed the crossing’s reopening, according to Syria’s state-run Sana news agency.

The move comes after Syrian government troops reclaimed their side of the crossing in July as part of a deal with rebel fighters.

The closure of the passage in 2015 cut a crucial transit route for hundreds of vehicles a day transporting goods between Turkey and the Gulf, and Lebanon and the Gulf, in multi-billion dollar annual trade.

The resumption of commercial trade through the crossing would bring major relief to President Bashar al-Assad’s government.