Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The government, represented by the Ministries of National Economy and Finance, the General Administration of Crossings, and the Civil Affairs Authority, in cooperation with the European Union, announced the import of the first shipment of 40-foot containers, coming from Spain through the port of Aqaba to the Karama crossing.

The Ministry of National Economy stated in a statement today, Thursday, that this initiative comes within the framework of implementing the government's vision of achieving economic independence through diversifying trade partners and facilitating import and export procedures for Palestinian merchants, stressing that this step reflects the government's commitment to facilitating trade in front of the sector. Palestinian special.

For his part, the Director General of the Palestinian Crossings, Nazmi Muhanna, confirmed her continuous efforts to facilitate this initiative, and to allow the import of empty containers to Palestine.

The ministry indicated that the shipment, which was imported in 40-foot containers, is a shipment of nutritional supplements for children belonging to the commercial company "Nestle", and it was carried out in accordance with the procedures in force within the initiative. Pointing out that support has been provided from the European Union to facilitate handling (container transportation) through forklifts.

The ministry said that this comes as a culmination of the efforts made by the government and the European Union to facilitate Palestinian trade across the border with and through Jordan, as the pilot initiative to ship goods in 40-foot containers began at the beginning of this August and will continue for three months, provided that it is subject later to be evaluated and take the necessary steps to achieve the best results. Results.

The ministry indicated that, under the initiative, a partial lump sum support of $1,500 will be disbursed by the British government to merchants upon acceptance of shipping documents.

In turn, the European Union affirmed its commitment to promoting Palestinian trade, engaging with all parties in taking facilitation measures, removing restrictions, and investing in infrastructure, thus improving the general economic conditions and living standards of the Palestinians.

The Union welcomed the first shipment of a 40-foot container through the Karama crossing, noting that shipping large containers is the next step towards facilitating trade on the borders with Jordan, which helps save time and money for merchants and improve government revenues, stressing that its financing of new equipment at the crossing contributed to the import of This kind of cargo, since this equipment is used to lift large containers.

The Ministry of Finance indicated that this experimental initiative is important and a step in the right direction, noting that it can be built upon to reach a Palestinian presence at the commercial crossings, calling on Palestinian merchants to use this initiative.

And she confirmed the readiness of the Palestinian Customs to take over its tasks and facilitate all obstacles in front of merchants.