The 6th Annual Meeting of the National Tijara Coalition

H.E. Eng. Maha Ali, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply and Chair of the TIJARA Council patronized the 6^th Annual Meeting of the National Tijara Coalition to set the strategic priorities and Actions for the years 2021-2022 with the presence of H.E. Henry Wooster, Ambassador of the United States to Jordan, Ms. Rose Alissi, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan, and a number of officials and members of the National Tijara Coalition Council.

The National Tijara Coalition is comprised of 34 entities from the public and private sectors, which aims to work together to achieve economic growth by strengthening the Jordan-U.S. economic relations, which serves as a platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences, and joint work among members on ways to leverage the opportunities offered by the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement.

In her remarks, Minister Ali shed light on the important role of the coalition in solidifying economic cooperation between the two countries, increasing the volume of bilateral trade and leveraging from the opportunities offered by the free trade agreement, as Jordan was the first Arab country and the fourth in the world to sign a free trade agreement with the United States, which contributed to a significant increase in the volume of Jordanian exports to the U.S. market.

Minister Ali also stressed on the importance of Majesty King Abdullah II’s visit to the United States last month and his talks with the U.S. President Joe Biden, senior officials and members of Congress, which came out with many results that will enhance economic cooperation between the two countries and require a follow-up and joint work in the coming period from the Jordanian public and private sector to make the best out of His Majesty’s visit. She also expressed the Ministry’s support towards the effort aimed increasing intra-regional trade between Jordan and the United States.

On his part, H.E. Wooster said: “We are eager to dispel the myth that the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement is only for large firms.  Small – Medium Enterprises (SMEs) from Jordan and the United States are eligible to take advantage of the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. The Tijara Coalition will be central to our efforts.”

H.E. Eng. Fathi Al Jaghbeer, Chairman of Jordan Chamber of Industry said: “the United States is Jordan’s top trading partner, as Jordan exports have achieved a significant increase after the U.S. Jordan Free Trade Agreement entered into force.” Al Jaghbeer also called industrial and service provider companies to explore and leverage the opportunities offered by the agreement through the programs and activities of the National Tijara Coalition.

Mr. Tarek Tabbaa, AmCham-Jordan board member, deputizing Eng. Mohammed Bataineh, AmCham-Jordan Chairman said: “the joint work in unifying efforts between the public and private sectors is a way to achieve tangible results at the level of companies and to facilitate seizing investment and trade opportunities offered by the U.S-Jordan free trade agreement, creating job opportunities, accelerate economic growth, in addition to the importance of formulating policies for an enabling business environment.

The participants in the meeting discussed priorities and strategic measures for the next two years that will help Jordanian companies in the industrial and service sector recover from the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic through leveraging from the Jordan-U.S. trade and investment relations to strengthen the national economy.