Baladi News - Media
Syrian state media said on Saturday the major Nassib border crossing with Jordan will reopen on 10 October, three years after the trade route was captured by rebels and closed.
The closure of the crossing in 2015 cut an important transit route for hundreds of trucks a day transporting goods between Turkey and the Gulf, and Lebanon and the Gulf, according to Reuters.
The reopening of the Nassib crossing would bring major relief to Bashar al-Assad's government by restoring a much-needed gateway for Syrian exports to Arab countries, the Associated Press said.
Assad troops captured it in July after rebels reached an agreement with Russian mediators to end the violence in the southern province of Daraa and surrender the crossing.
The latest Syrian statement corrected an earlier one saying the restoration of the movement of trucks and goods through the crossing had already begun.
The Jordanian government had denied that assertion, saying the two sides were still studying the reopening of the border.
"Jaber Nassib crossing is still closed. It hasn't reopened yet for movement of goods and passengers," an official statement quoted Jordanian government spokeswoman Joumana Ghonaimat as saying.
The Nassib crossing is of particular importance as it constitutes an important economic artery for neighboring countries as the only outlet that links them with foreign markets for their agricultural products.
Source: The Middle East Eye