Jordan, Qatar mull direct maritime trade route

AMMAN — Jordan and Qatar on Wednesday discussed the possibility of establishing a direct maritime route to enhance trade exchange, prior to holding joint ministerial committee meetings in 2019. 

The plan was discussed during a meeting between Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri and his Qatari counterpart Ali Al Kuwari on the sidelines of the 18th Doha Forum held earlier this week.

During the meeting, both ministers agreed to arrange visits by technical teams to identify potential commodities for trade exchange between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two countries view the joint ministerial committee meetings as an opportunity to enhance trade and economic ties, improve cooperation in different fields, the ministers said.

It is also a chance to increase visits by both countries’ businesspeople and encourage cooperation between public and private institutions to better serve joint interests, they added. 

In June, Qatar pledged to offer jobs in Doha to Jordanians and provide $500 million in investments for projects to support the Kingdom’s infrastructure and development. 

The assistance was announced during a meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah and Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani in Amman.

The Labour Ministry in early August launched the Jordanian-Qatari job website: www.jqpee.jo, which Jordanians can visit to apply for jobs in the Arab Gulf country.

A rift between Gulf countries and the emirate, an important market for Jordan’s agricultural sector, led to the closure of land, air and sea links last year between Qatar, Saudi Arabia Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain, dealing a blow to the already struggling sector, the exports of which used to pass through Saudi Arabia to reach Qatar.