AMMAN (JT) - Jordan and Qatar signed a draft protocol Monday on recruiting Jordanian workers and streamlining related procedures.

The deal was signed in the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Ben Khalifa Al Thani following talks they held yesterday on bilateral ties and issues of pan-Arab concern, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania arrived yesterday on a two-day visit to Qatar, which followed meetings held earlier this month between top officials from both countries.

According to official figures, there are about 36,000 Jordanians working in Qatar.

The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on mutual recognition of academic certificates in accordance with the international agreement for training of maritime workers.

In their talks, King Abdullah and Sheikh Hamad underlined the need to foster bilateral ties and activate economic cooperation through exchanging visits and intensifying cooperation between concerned agencies in both countries.

The two leaders also reviewed results of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi's visit to Doha.

On November 8, Dahabi, who headed a high-ranking delegation to Doha, met with his Qatari counterpart Hamad Ben Jassem Al Thani, where the two sides agreed to set up a business council comprising members from the private sector in both countries. They decided to hold an imminent meeting of the Jordanian-Qatari Commercial Committee.

Last week, Jordan and Qatar looked into details to create an agreed-on joint investment fund, deemed of great significance to enhance investment cooperation between the two countries.

The fund entails joint projects between the public and private sectors in both countries in the fields of food industries, mining, health, education, energy, agriculture, IT, tourism, infrastructure and financial services.

King Abdullah and Sheikh Hamad also discussed the latest developments at the Arab level, including efforts to bring about peace and stability to the region.

They emphasised the need to develop joint Arab work and intensify coordination and consultation between the Arab states.

Sheikh Hamad held a lunch banquet in honour of Their Majesties and the accompanying delegation.