The Federation of Shipping, Transport and Transit Syndicates issued a statement clarifying its understanding of the decision taken by the Ports and Crossings Authority in the Syrian Arab Republic to prevent Lebanese trucks from entering Syrian territory. The Union indicated that this decision aims to regulate the work of Syrian trucks and protect their interests inside Syria.
The Union believes that this Syrian action came as a result of the negligence of the responsible authorities in Lebanon, as they did not respond to repeated demands from the Union and the relevant unions to form a “joint coordination committee” with the Syrian side. The aim of this committee was to discuss and organize the transit transport mechanism (“transit”) in accordance with the Arab Transit Transport Agreement signed within the framework of the “League of Arab States”.
The Union called on the competent Lebanese authorities to move quickly and seriously to resume communications and coordination with the Syrian authorities, with the aim of preserving the interests of the Lebanese transport sector, applying the principle of “reciprocity” and avoiding further losses to Lebanese transit companies and drivers.
The Union warned that the continuation of the current situation without urgent and responsible treatment will lead to changing the route of transit goods towards neighboring ports, which will have a negative impact on the performance of Lebanese ports, the movement of exports and the national economy in general, and will weaken Lebanon’s role as a major corridor for transit traffic in the region.
