Czech Republic in discussion to open Jordanian embassy

AMMAN — The opening of a Jordanian embassy in the Czech Republic would play a significant role in increasing the trade exchange between the two countries and help attract more Czech tourists to Jordan, which is "an island of peace in the Middle East that is rich with world-renowned tourists sites", according to Czech Ambassador in Amman Petr Hladik.

Jordan and the Czech Republic enjoy a long-standing history of solid relations and strategic cooperation and the opening of the embassy would be a key step in increasing cooperation in different sectors, the ambassador said during an interview with The Jordan Times on the occasion of the Czech national day marked on Tuesday.

Trade exchange in 2015 reached $30 million and it rose to around $70 million in 2016.

This year, the figure has continued growing as there is increased cooperation in various areas including the energy and defence industries, and the embassy will create more bilateral opportunities, according to the Czech official. 

Jordan's exports to the Czech Republic are below $1 million and this is an area that requires further improvement through more promotion and marketing, he added.

Having an embassy will tremendously help in increasing the number of tourists coming to Jordan, he added.

Around 200,000 Czech tourists visit Egypt every year and Jordan has all it takes to attract large number of tourists. However, only 1,500 to 2,000 Czech tourists visit Jordan every year and this can be significantly increased, Hladik said.

"It's a pity since numbers can be higher. You have the antique monuments in Jerash, Um Qais and Wadi Rum, which are my favourite. You have the beautiful Dead Sea, the Red Sea and you have Petra, among many others," he said.

"Jordan is the safest country in the Middle East but you need to do more promotion to attract tourists and having an embassy that is actively engaged in such promotions will play a key role in this regard," the diplomat added.

One of the key cooperation areas is in the defence industry: a joint production by King Abdullah II Development and Design Bureau and Tatra company.

Czech companies are also involved in providing turbines for two natural gas power plants in Jordan, and due to increased cooperation in the areas of defence and energy "we expect the trade exchange between the two sides to reach around $100 million".

On the relaxed EU rules of origin, the ambassador underlined the need for more interaction and networking between businesspeople from both sides.

"The potential is even huge for joint ventures since Jordan is a gateway to the region and several nearby markets," he added.

As an "island of stability", the Czech Republic is committed to continue its support to Jordan, he said.

In 2016, Jordan was the second largest recipient of Czech development aid.

The Czech Republic also intervened to help Jordan with the influx of Syrian refugees. Last year, one of the programmes it implemented had a total value of $2 million that consisted of expanding the mobile houses of Syrian refugees in Al Azarq camp.

This year, the Czech Republic allocated $2 million for the project and received a similar amount from its neighbour, Germany. By the end of December, over 5,000 houses will have already benefited from the project.

"Jordan really needs and deserves all the help due to the challenges it is facing in this regard," the ambassador added.

The Czech Republic is also helping to conduct surgeries for Syrian and Jordanian children under its “Medevac Programme”, which was started in 1994 by the Czech government as an initiative to help children in conflict-ridden areas.

In 2013, six Syrian children refugees benefitted from the programme and received treatment in the Czech Republic.

"We decided to move medical teams to perform surgeries in Jordan and since then, the number of beneficiaries has been on the rise," Hladik added.

Around 1,000 Syrian and Jordanian children will benefit from the surgery programme by the end of this year. "We try to help as much as we can. Jordan needs and deserves that from the international community," the ambassador concluded.