Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Saudi Ambassador to Jordan, Sami bin Abdullah al Saleh, said on Wednesday that Jordan is a "safe haven" in a turbulent region, a key fact that helps attract investments.

The Saudi Ambassador told Petra during his visit to the Al-Mudawara Customs Office, 322 km south east of Amman, that "His Majesty King Abdullah II's efforts and the Jordanian government's policies, attract Arab investors, particularly Saudis." He praised Jordan Customs' technological and administrative development and its efficiency in reducing the instance of smuggling between the two countries.

The ambassador and the accompanying delegation were briefed on the Jordan Customs' mechanism to facilitate the cross-border movement of passengers and goods between the two countries.

The delegation was also received by Jordan Customs' Director General, Munther Abdel Qader Al Assaf, senior customs officials and personnel from the security agencies operating at the Centre.

Al-Mudawara Office Director Ziad Bani Salameh briefed the delegation about the Center, which was founded in 1979.

He said that 53,000 cars have left Jordan since the beginning of the year, while 54,000 cars have entered the country.

Bani Salameh added that 15,000 trucks departed the country through the Centre, while 12,000 entered, pointing out that 4,900 Jordanian exports' statements and about 5,000 transit statements were issued since the beginning of 2014.

Gen. Al Assaf stressed the importance of Al-Mudawara Office, specially for pilgrims, in addition to being a key centre for Jordanian-Saudi trade exchange.

He added that the Jordanian Customs does its utmost to overcome difficulties and obstacles facing travellers, pilgrims and expatriates during the Hajj season and Eid al-Adha, and allows visitors to the Kingdom and expatriates spend the holiday in the country.

Citing the need to employ qualified and hard-working custom officials, Al Assaf emphasized the importance of speeding up work at the Centre to avoid overcrowding.

*Petra