Syria, Jordan, Turkey Reach Understanding to “Activate the Middle East Corridor”

Ministers of transport from Syria, Jordan, and Turkey signed a trilateral memorandum of understanding on Tuesday, April 7, aimed at developing transport and logistics connectivity among the three countries, following a joint ministerial committee meeting held in Amman, Jordan.

According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, the memorandum provides for the establishment of an institutional and technical framework for cooperation in road, maritime, and rail transport. It also includes the formation of joint committees and working groups, along with unified sectoral plans to coordinate efforts and standardize procedures among the three countries.

The memorandum also seeks to turn this cooperation into implementation-focused projects backed by digitalization and investment, through simplifying regulations, adopting smart solutions, monitoring performance, and building capacity to ensure sustainability, according to SANA.

Under the memorandum, cooperation will include strengthening regional rail connectivity through a trilateral technical committee tasked with following up on implementation. It also covers the development of road, maritime, and rail transport, infrastructure improvement, facilitation of cargo and passenger movement, and simplification of border procedures, all of which are expected to improve supply chain efficiency, enhance trade exchange, and support transit traffic among the three countries, according to SANA.

Three-year roadmap

Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr said in remarks to SANA that the memorandum includes “a clear roadmap outlining the activities to be implemented by transport institutions in the three countries, within a three-year follow-up program.”

Badr added that the roadmap “represents a practical commitment to turning borders into bridges for development and integration,” stressing that activating the “Middle East Corridor” through these countries “will bring about a qualitative transformation in the regional economic landscape.”

Rail connectivity and the Hejaz Railway

The Syrian transport minister said that the formation of the trilateral rail transport committee “will help assess the current state of railway lines, study the economic feasibility of existing projects, and prepare new studies for future projects,” noting that Syria “has undertaken the preparation of an initial map for rail connectivity among the three countries ahead of joint discussions.”

Badr added that signing the memorandum lays the groundwork for launching major strategic projects, foremost among them the Hejaz Railway, which would enhance the movement of goods and passengers under modern standards. He said technical cooperation would help “complete the missing links and rehabilitate infrastructure, ensuring the smooth flow of rail traffic from Anatolia to the port of Aqaba and the Arabian Gulf.”

Syria’s 2026 vision

Badr said the Syrian Ministry of Transport’s 2026 vision is based on three main pillars: facilitating transit traffic by harmonizing fees and simplifying border procedures, enhancing logistics integration by linking ports to the Arab hinterland, and adopting smart transport solutions to support digital transformation and improve the competitiveness of trade corridors.

He added that the meeting marks “a strategic step” toward translating technical understandings into implementation measures and “reflects a genuine political will that goes beyond protocol, toward building a regional partnership based on shared interests.”

Jordan, an advanced transport model

For his part, Jordanian Transport Minister Nidal al-Qatamin said, according to Jordan’s official Roya channel, that the step “represents a qualitative leap toward building an advanced transport model based on integration and flexible, highly efficient supply chains capable of adapting to geopolitical changes.”

He added that Jordan places the transport and logistics sector at the heart of its economic modernization vision, through developing multimodal transport, establishing logistics centers, modernizing border crossings, adopting digital solutions, and strengthening partnership with the private sector.

North-South corridor and economic impact

Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said, according to SANA, that operating the North-South corridor “will create a significant economic impact by increasing export capacity and transit revenues, revitalizing ports, expanding markets, and opening new horizons for cargo movement.”

In additional remarks cited by Jordanian news website al-Wakaai, Uraloğlu said relations among the three countries “go beyond geography and form a strategic axis for enhancing trade and regional development.” He added that “the trilateral mechanism recently established represents a practical platform for developing the transport sector in the region,” while efforts are being directed toward enhancing field cooperation through technical visits and “linking the region to broader corridors extending toward the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia, and Europe.”

The Turkish minister stressed the need to develop and integrate road and rail transport infrastructure because of its role in improving transport efficiency, reducing costs, and supporting trade, especially amid the global trend toward reducing carbon emissions. He also pointed to the pivotal role of Aqaba port in linking freight movement between the north and the Red Sea.

Completion of the Hejaz Railway

The trilateral ministerial meeting followed a series of meetings between the joint technical committees of the three countries. A Syrian, Jordanian, and Turkish delegation met in Amman on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, to discuss ways to strengthen regional cooperation in the transport sector and activate transit traffic and rail connectivity.

Uraloğlu said at the time that “important” decisions had been made during the technical meeting of the transport ministers of the three countries.

Mohammad Omar Rahhal, assistant minister of transport for land transport affairs, had then called for activating road and rail connectivity projects, especially the Hejaz Railway, removing obstacles to transit movement, and working to develop infrastructure.

Uraloğlu added that Jordan would study the technical possibilities for the maintenance, repair, and operation of locomotives, with the possibility of running its own locomotives on the line as far as Damascus.

The Turkish minister also said that the trilateral meeting resulted in an agreement to resume road transport between Turkey and Jordan through Syria after a 13-year interruption caused by the war in Syria.

He added that during the talks, he proposed projects to open new transport corridors linking Turkey to the Red Sea through Aqaba port, and to conduct joint technical studies to facilitate Syria’s and Jordan’s access to international corridors through Turkish territory.

The Hejaz Railway is a historic railway built by the Ottomans in the early 20th century. It was intended to connect Damascus with Medina, passing through several cities and towns in Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, to facilitate pilgrims’ travel to the Hijaz.

The idea for the railway took shape in 1900, construction began in September of the same year, and the line was completed in 1908. The railway remains operational in Jordanian territory today, while services to Syria have been suspended due to the events the country has witnessed since the Syrian revolution.

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