Jordan, UAE sign 12 deals, agree joint ventures

AMMAN — Jordan and the UAE on Tuesday signed 12 agreements, protocols, memoranda of understanding and executive programmes that govern ties between the two countries.

The deals were signed in Abu Dhabi at the conclusion of the third session of the Jordan-UAE ministerial committee co-chaired by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah Al Nahyan.

The deals would contribute to opening wider horizons for cooperation between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said.

They included memoranda of understanding on financial and technical cooperation, mutual recognition of conformity certificates and quality mark for products between Jordan Institution for Standards and Metrology and the UAE Authority for Standardisation and Metrology. 

They also include cooperation in the fields of telecommunications, ICT and electronic transformation between the Jordanian Ministry of ICT and the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, as well as in the field of green growth between the Ministry of Environment of Jordan and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE. 

An agreement was also signed to boost cooperation in the field of competition policies and related legislation between the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply of Jordan and the UAE Ministry of Economy. 

The two sides also signed a cooperation deal in the field of company registration and control, in addition to a protocol on technical cooperation between the Jordan Investment Commission and the UAE ministry of economy.

The two sides also agreed on the mutual recognition of civil certificates of marine workers in the sea of ​​seafarers between the Jordanian Maritime Commission and the Federal Authority for Onshore and Offshore Transport of the UAE.

Other deals included the executive programme for cultural cooperation between the two countrie governments for the years 2017-2020 and the executive programme of higher education and scientific research between the Jordanian Ministry of Higher Education and the UAE’s Ministry of Education for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.

The officials also signed the executive programme for educational cooperation between the two countries for 2017-2019, and a memorandum of understanding in the field of information.

Jordan and the UAE endorsed an executive timetable for the implementation of the deals, while foreign ministries will report progress in the process on a biannual basis, Petra said. 

Meanwhile, Safadi and Al Nahyan discussed regional issues, including the Mideast conflict and terrorism, agreeing to increase cooperation to coordinate their positions on these issues. 

Following the conclusion of the meetings, which extended over three days, the two countries endorsed a set of recommendations to bolster bilateral trade. They agreed to hold the third session of the Jordan-UAE Economic Forum in Amman next year. 

They also discussed ways to facilitate Jordan’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, start joint investments in the Kingdom in the fields of steel and complete the electronic linkage between the customs departments in each country.