Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Ali said Saturday that Jordan and Egypt should act to foster economic ties and remove commercial barriers, as their bilateral trade volume does not exceed the meagre annual amount of $600 million annually.

At a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian Minister of Industry, Trade and Small and Medium Enterprises Fakhry Abdul Nour, Ali also called for increasing investments and capitalizing on investor-friendly opportunities and resources available in the two countries, according to a statement released by the ministry in Amman. "Jordan is interested in upgrading bilateral cooperation with Egypt in various domains, particularly in the economic field, in a manner that serves their joint interests", Ali said, commending Cairo's support for Jordan with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) group as part of the Kingdom's quest to open new markets for its exports.

Ali also referred to "the great success" Egypt had recently made, the New Suez Canal Project, which, she said, was "an achievement for all Arabs" as a regional artery serving all Arab countries and the flow of international trade.

The Cairo meeting was to follow up on the outcome of a meeting of the Joint Jordanian-Egyptian Higher Committee which was held recently in Amman in which the two countries signed agreements in a host of economic and other sectors.