Amman, Aug. 29 

 President of the Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Hajj Tawfiq called for encouraging Jordanian and Tunisian companies to establish partnerships to advance the two countries' commercial and industrial relations to higher levels.

Hajj Tawfiq underlined, during a meeting with a Tunisian trade delegation on Tuesday, that the trade exchanges between the two countries are still below ambitions, stressing the need to increase the visits of trade delegations, hold exhibitions, activate bilateral agreements and focus on sectors with a competitive advantage in the two countries, especially information technology, tourism, and the food and pharmaceutical industries, with the aim of expanding the base of goods exchanged between them.

He pointed out that Jordan is an important gateway for Tunisian products to enter the region's markets, especially the Arab Gulf countries, while Tunisia is a gateway for the Kingdom's exports to Africa and Europe.

Haj Tawfiq stressed that Jordan has a strategic location and a network of trade agreements with many countries of the world, especially the United States, Singapore and Canada, which enables Jordanian products to enter markets that have about two billion consumers without any customs obstacles.

There is a great responsibility on the private sector to set a new framework for the economic relations between the two countries and focus on sectors of added value, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tunisia Mounir Moakher pointed out.

He pointed out the importance of having an updated joint database on the economic and investment opportunities available in the two countries, in a way that enables the expansion of the commodity base and focuses on importing abundant production inputs on both sides.

He pointed out that his country possesses high industrial and productive capabilities with competitive prices and quality, noting that 78 percent of Tunisia's exports go to the European market.

He called for the establishment of Jordanian-Tunisian commercial partnerships to reach many markets in the region, especially the Palestinian one.

Moakher stressed the importance of establishing Jordanian investments in Tunisia to benefit from the relations and agreements that bind it with the European Union and African countries, explaining that his country welcomes any Arab economic cooperation led by Jordan.