Jordan signs six cooperation deals with India

AMMAN — Jordan and India on Sunday signed six agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) in various fields of cooperation.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, covering cooperation in the maritime transportation sector and a memorandum between the Jordan Institute of Diplomacy and the Indian Foreign Service Institute.

Another deal was signed between the Jordan News Agency, Petra, and the Press Trust of India, in addition to signing the executive programme for cultural exchange between the Jordanian and Indian governments.

Also, an MoU was signed between the ICT Ministry and its Indian counterpart to cooperate in ICT and electronics fields, and another between the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation and its Indian peer to cooperate in assessment techniques. 

Ensour and Mukherjee discussed bilateral ties and regional issues of mutual interest, Petra reported.

Ensour said that Jordan encourages establishing joint projects in the fields of manufacturing and marketing pharmaceuticals, renewable energy and ICT, in addition to the garment industry, noting that  such ventures are entitled to benefit from Jordan's free trade agreements with the US, Europe and Arab countries.

Mukherjee stressed the importance of moving forward in enhancing bilateral economic and trade ties, calling on Jordanian businesspeople and the private sector to invest in India, which will be spending a trillion dollars on its infrastructure projects. 

In a related development, India’s Ambassador to Jordan Anil Trigunayat told The Jordan Times that India has extended a line of credit of $100 million to the Kingdom for promoting trade and economic cooperation. 

The ambassador made the remarks on the sidelines of a ceremony held at the University of Jordan to award the Indian president an honorary doctorate.

Also on Sunday, the Indian president and an accompanying delegation met separately with senators and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh.

According to Petra, the meetings were a continuation of the talks Mukherjee held with His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday.

Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh, accompanied by several senators, met with the visiting leader and discussed how best to take ties between the chamber and its Indian counterpart to a new level.

In his remarks at the meeting, Rawabdeh outlined progress in Jordan’s reform drive, highlighting amendments made to the Constitution, which led to the establishment of the Constitutional Court and the Independent Elections Commission, as well as several political reform-oriented laws and others concerned with promoting and safeguarding democracy, freedom and respect for human rights.

Mukherjee voiced his country’s interest in strengthening bilateral relations, as agreed during the discussions he held with His Majesty. 

The Indian president outlined the democratic experience in India, its constitution, parliamentary government, as well as the council of state, which consists of 245 members, and the 552-strong parliament. 

During the meeting, Mukherjee and Judeh discussed the importance of seizing the available opportunities to boost economic cooperation, increasing trade exchange, which currently stands at $1.89 billion and is planned to be upped to $5 billion in five years, in addition to establishing joint projects in various fields.

Judeh and Mukherjee reviewed recent developments in Palestine, with focus on the continuous Israeli provocations. The minister stressed that the solution lies in implementing the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Discussions also covered developments in several countries, including Libya, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, with Judeh highlighting the importance of finding political resolutions that preserve the security and stability of these countries.

Mukherjee praised the role Jordan is playing, under the leadership of King Abdullah, in achieving security and stability in region, voicing India’s support for such endeavours.