Jordan’s King Abdullah II today reiterated support for the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in Syria as he met with the country’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who arrived in Amman on his first official visit to the kingdom.
A royal court statement said the Jordanian monarch welcomed the Syrian leader upon his arrival at Marka Airport in Amman.
During the meeting, King Abdullah affirmed Jordan’s “support for Syrians to rebuild their country in a way that involves all components of Syrian society,” the court said in another statement.
Discussions between the two sides covered “opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, energy and water,” it added.
The Jordanian king also condemned “Israel’s encroachment on Syrian territory,” reiterating his country’s support for “Syria’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.”
Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on several locations in the Damascus countryside and Daraa province in southern Syria last night.
The attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for the demilitarisation of southern Syria, saying that his army will stay in Syria’s buffer zone “indefinitely.”
After the talks, Sharaa left Jordan, concluding his brief visit to the country.
The Jordanian government also decided today to exempt Syrian trucks from entry and service fees amid an improvement in ties between the two neighbours.
The state news agency Petra said the move was in line with a decision to unify fees imposed on Jordanian and Syrian trucks and under the principle of reciprocity between the two countries.
The decision “is part of government efforts to keep pace with the increasing movement of trade and transport between the two neighbouring countries,” Petra said.
Earlier this month, Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports said it would exempt Jordanian trucks from all fees under an agreement with Amman.
The deal came amid efforts by Syria’s new government to develop economic growth in various sectors after the overthrow of the Bashar Al-Assad regime.
READ: Arab League chief decries Israeli strikes in Syria as ‘provocative escalation’