NEW DELHI — Several Jordanian officials are due in India in the near future to discuss bilateral relations, with defence cooperation as the main issue, according to a senior Indian official.
Salman Khurshid, Indian minister for external affairs, said his country has distinguished relations with Jordan, adding that several meetings are planned to develop these ties further.
“With Jordan we have a two-way investment, and we have a very good relationship with the Royal family,” Khurshid said at a meeting last week with journalists from West Asia and North Africa (WANA).
The minister said a delegation representing the Royal Jordanian National Defence College will visit India soon to discuss cooperation in the field of defence and to be familiarised with Indian defence schools.
In addition, Khurshid noted that his country is preparing to receive Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, but “we are working on the dates for his visit.”
“We [are also] considering cooperation in the fields of information technology and financial services,” the official said in reply to a question by The Jordan Times.
The Indian foreign minister said WANA countries are important to his nation, which is closely watching changes in the region.
“You come from a region that is important to us, and your people should decide for themselves, and whatever you decide will be acknowledged by us,” Khurshid told journalists representing Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Yemen.
The minister noted that there are 7 million Indians working in WANA countries, and this channels more than $70 billion to the Indian economy.
He added that almost 60 per cent of “our oil supplies come from your region. We heavily depend on your countries. You are good friends and good partners.”
Khurshid said the trade volume between India and the countries of the region stands at $180 billion.
Meanwhile, E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, minister of state for commerce and industry, noted that more than 10,000 Indians currently work in the Kingdom’s textile and health sectors, as more than 20 factories in Jordan are run by Indians.
Indian investments in the Kingdom, he said, are estimated at $60 million.
“The exchange of visits between our countries will further strengthen economic cooperation,” Natchiappan said, adding: “We are happy to have further talks to help in this aspect.”
