Haj Tawfiq calls for enhancing trade relations with Tunisia
10/02/2024
Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, called for encouraging Jordanian companies and their Tunisian counterparts to establish partnerships that advance the two countries’ commercial, industrial and investment relations to higher levels, stressing the importance of increasing networking between private sector institutions.
Haj Tawfiq stated during a meeting with the Tunisian ambassador to the Kingdom, Mufida Al-Zuraibi, that the two countries’ trade exchanges are still less than ambitions despite the improvement in their numbers, despite the availability of opportunities and capabilities, which requires making more efforts to improve them, and finding effective tools that contribute to revitalizing them and removing any restrictions.
Chairman stated that the volume of trade exchange between the Kingdom and Tunisia witnessed remarkable growth during the past two years, and there is a convergence in the numbers of exports and imports, indicating that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries during 10 months of last year was 30 million dollars, of which 14 million were exports to Jordan.
According to a statement by the Chamber, he stressed the need for the joint higher committee between Jordan and Tunisia, which will be held during the current year, to work on holding joint exhibitions, and advance preparation for meetings through a preparatory team, arranging events, and direct networking between businessmen in the two countries.
Haj Tawfiq pointed out the importance of organizing a joint business forum on the sidelines of the meetings, to learn about the reality of the available opportunities and work to invest in them, in a way that achieves the common interests of the two brotherly countries.
The meeting, which was attended by the Second Vice Chairman of the Chamber, Bahjat Hamdan, discussed the importance of focusing on sectors with a competitive advantage in the two countries, especially information technology, tourism, and the foodstuff and pharmaceutical industries, with the aim of expanding the base of goods exchanges between them in a way that serves business owners from the two countries, and strengthening the partnership between them.
The meeting, which was held at the Chamber’s premises, discussed the necessity of strengthening tourism cooperation opportunities and facilitating the flow of tourists between the two countries, and working to promote Tunisia tourism through Jordanian tourism companies that are members of the Chamber, in addition to promoting Jordan tourism through the Tunisian side.
The two sides stressed the need to intensify visits by trade delegations and hold exhibitions, to further networking between Jordanian businessmen and their counterparts from Tunisia, pointing out the necessity of having a joint updated database on the economic and investment opportunities available in the two countries, which enables the expansion of the commodity base and opens the way for exploring commercial opportunities. and investment available.
In turn, Ambassador Al-Zuraibi indicated her country's keenness to maintain economic and trade relations between the two countries, and that the Tunisian embassy will work to communicate with the chamber to remove obstacles to the two countries' trade exchanges and the movement of goods and merchandise.
She indicated that a Tunisian economic delegation will visit Jordan in April of this year, in arrangement with the Amman Chamber of Commerce, to display the products of the mechanical, electrical and auto parts industries, to highlight the investment opportunities and capabilities available to her country in this regard.
Ambassador Al-Zuraibi pointed out that arrangements are now underway to hold meetings of the joint Jordanian-Tunisian Higher Committee expected during the second third of this year in the capital, Amman, and on its agenda are comprehensive files to raise the level of cooperation in various fields, especially economic ones.
In turn, the Second Vice Chairman of the Chamber, Bahjat Hamdan, stressed the necessity of focusing on specific sectors with added value, and the importance of strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism and exchanging tourism programs to increase the number of visitors between the two countries.
Hamdan pointed out the need to support existing tourism cooperation opportunities between Jordan and Tunisia, discuss possible ways to encourage tourism between them, and the possibility of linking tourism and travel companies and agents in both countries to promote tourism.
For his part, Director General of the Chamber, Hisham Dweik, stressed the importance of making the most of the Mediterranean Free Trade Area (Aghadir) agreement, which links Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco, as it constitutes the most important tools for achieving economic integration and increasing trade and investment exchange between member states.
