Arab states have made progress in establishing a MENA transport corridor, spurred on by the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz .
Syria, Jordan and Turkey signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday that sets out a vision to develop road, rail, and maritime transport links in the region.
Transport in the Middle East has been thrown into turmoil after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed following attacks on shipping in the strategically critical waterway, and despite a recent truce, the situation remains precarious.
This has pushed trade onto land, with the Syria-Jordan-Turkey land corridor an increasingly important route for freight to and from the region.
Saudi Arabia has, meanwhile, made use of a recently reactivated pipeline from its oil hub in the east to Yanbu on the east coast, effectively bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
The agreement between Jordan, Syria, and Turkey should facilitate the movement of cargo via trucks in the region, reduce friction regarding visas, transportation costs, customs fees, and taxes, and develop road infrastructure.
It also paves the way for a 'land-sea bridge' between Mediterranean ports in Syria and Turkey and Jordan's Red Sea city of Aqaba, with the process taking around three years to complete and effective immediately, according to SANA news agency.
There have also been developments on linking the Gulf region with the Levant, with Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreeing to open a land corridor and facilitate regional trade this week, following disruptions to maritime traffic caused by the war in the region. Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat announced the new trade route in Ankara, which will help maintain supply chains as shipping in the Gulf is held up following the US-Israeli war on Iran.
It follows a recent recalibration of ties between Ankara and Riyadh after tensions around regional issues.
"We have launched transit trade through the agreement made with Saudi Arabia. With this, products that cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz will continue to reach countries in the region, some through pipelines and some through road transportation," Bolat said.
There are few details on the trade route, but it would likely pass through Jordan and Syria, the latter recently liberated from Assad rule, ending a 13-year civil war that had led to massive disruptions in trade between Turkey and the Gulf.
The Jordan-Syria border has seen an increase in traffic since the 28 February war on Iran began, with thousands of tonnes of cargo diverted to land due to problems in the Strait of Hormuz.
There have been numerous initiatives in recent years to facilitate trade in the region, including the controversial UAE-Israel land corridor.
This would see important transport links between the UAE on the Gulf coast, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Israel, to facilitate trade between South Asia, the Middle East and Asia. The issue was particularly sensitive as Saudi Arabia has no relations with Israel, and the prospect of a normalisation deal seems ever distant following the Gaza war and Israeli-US attacks on Iran.