ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Jordan aims to increase the “modest” volume of imports from the Kurdistan Region and advance bilateral trade ties, the country’s agriculture minister said, a day after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Region’s officials.
Jordanian Agriculture Minister Khaled al-Henefat arrived in Erbil on Sunday where he met with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the development of cooperation and coordination in agriculture and food industry sectors.
“We signed a memorandum of understanding that would increase the volume of trade between Jordan and the Kurdistan Region, which is currently modest unfortunately, but this agreement works to increase the facilitations [between the two sides],” Henefat told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih during a televised interview.
The minister noted that the MoU aims to link the private sectors in Jordan and the Kurdistan Region, which would enhance the trade volume between the two sides.
“There are very swift agreements in place [with the Kurdistan Region] to import produce that we currently import from outside, such as potatoes and garlic, and in the future, there are plans to arrange for the import of wheat, bulgur, flour, and others,” Henefat said.
He added that Amman eyes to import around 10,000 tons of potatoes and 5,000 tons of garlic from the Kurdistan Region, to fill in their seasonal shortage.
Utilizing the strategic position of the Kurdistan Region to connect Jordan with Turkey and Europe was another topic Henefat touched upon.
“One of the most important agendas of the visit, in addition to the increase of trade volume, was using the position of the Kurdistan Region, and particularly the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing, which constitutes a window to Europe through Turkey, or to eastern Europe such as Russia,” he said.
Henefat also said they formally asked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to “speed up Jordanian transport through Zakho,” where the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing is located, adding that the request was positively welcomed by Kurdish officials.
