Tunisia-Jordan cooperation at heart of working session

Tunis: Cooperation between Tunisia and Jordan in the leather and footwear sectors, logistics (maritime transport), health, pharmaceuticals, furniture and agriculture (olive oil, dates, fertilisers) took centre stage at a working session held on Monday at the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) headquarters in Tunis. It was agreed during the meeting, which was chaired by UTICA President Samir Majoul and President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce Khalil Mohammad ElHaj Tawfiq, to organise regular meetings between the two countries' businessmen and to consider all existing problems and challenges and ways to tackle them. Majoul underlined on this occasion the need to agree on an economic programme between the two countries, notably in the agriculture and renewable energy sectors, pointing out that Tunisia has considerable potential in several economic sectors, as well as a privileged geostrategic location, giving it access to the Maghreb, African and European markets. ElHaj Tawfi q said for his part, that trade between the two countries has fallen short of expectations, despite the considerable opportunities offered by a number of economic sectors, such as textiles, leather, design, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy and tourism, in addition to the existence of a direct air link and visa-free travel between the two countries. Jordan has introduced a new investment law and granted incentives to investors, he indicated, adding that his country's ambition is to build a complementary relationship with Tunisia, and to open channels for dialogue between the sectors, before the holding of the Tunisian-Jordanian joint commission at the end of this year. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse