Reopening of the Nasib Crossing at the Syria-Jordan Border After Three Years

The Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan was reopened for the movement of people and goods on Monday, October 15, after three years. This crossing was a route for billions of dollars in trade between the two countries and across the region. At 8 a.m. local time, a Jordanian border guard announced the reopening of the crossing. Early in the afternoon, Reuters reporters observed the entry of a Syrian business delegation into Jordan, and several dozen civilians also left Jordan for Syria, but no truck traffic was observed yet. The head of the Jaber inspection post in Jordan told Reuters, 'Our prediction is that initial traffic will be minimal, but passenger movement will increase in the coming days.' Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, regained control of rebel-held areas in the southwest of the country in July. The closure of this border crossing in 2015 cut off the transit route for hundreds of trucks per day that moved between Turkey, Gulf countries, and Lebanon. The volume of trade through this route was billions of dollars annually. During the period when the Nasib border crossing was closed, the only active border crossing for Syria was with Lebanon. Lebanon is entirely dependent on Syria for land transit since its only other land border is with Israel, with which it has no relations. Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, tweeted, 'The reopening of the Nasib border crossing will revive several productive sectors in Lebanon and reduce the cost of Lebanese exports to Arab countries.' The Jordanian news agency Petra reported that according to regulations established during the Syrian war, citizens of that country must first obtain the necessary security clearance to enter Jordan. The news agency added, 'Jordanian citizens can travel to Syria by car or as ordinary passengers, and according to the agreement between the two governments, shipments sent from Jordan can also be transferred to Syria.' The Israeli government also opened the Quneitra crossing at the border between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria on Monday. The Israeli army announced that currently only United Nations peacekeeping forces are allowed to pass through this crossing. Israel occupied part of the Golan Heights in the 1967 war. Before the Syrian civil war, which began more than seven years ago, traffic at the Quneitra border crossing was normal since Druze Arabs lived on both sides of this border strip. Walid al-Moallem, the Syrian Foreign Minister, expressed hope on Monday that land crossings at the Iraq border would also reopen soon. The Syrian Foreign Minister, after meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Damascus, said that the opening of the Abu Kamal border crossing in eastern Syria, which was initially controlled by Syrian rebels and later by the 'Islamic State' group, would benefit both countries.