Jordan, Germany launch celebration of partnership with mural unveiling

AMMAN — Jordanian officials and the German ambassador to Jordan on Sunday launched an anniversary celebration to commemorate 60 years of German-Jordanian development cooperation, according to a joint statement.

Minister of Education Walid Maani, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar and German Ambassador to Jordan Birgitta Siefker-Eberle launched the celebration with a mural unveiling designed by Jordanian street artist Suhaib Attar together with 30 Jordanian and Syrian students from Al Quds Secondary School for Girls.

The unveiling ceremony was the first in a number of activities planned for 2019 to celebrate the anniversary, according to the statement, which added that German-Jordanian cooperation started in 1959 with support to explore natural resources in the Kingdom.

Since then, the two countries have worked together in the fields of water, education, employment, environmental protection and solid waste management, the statement said. In recent years, the focus of cooperation has been on addressing the challenges related to the Syria crisis.

Kawar voiced her appreciation for the German government’s support to Jordan over the past 60 years, noting that Berlin is playing an important role in helping the Kingdom address regional challenges.

She also thanked Germany for mobilising international support to refugee-burdened Jordan, the statement said.

Maani said in the statement that Al Quds Secondary School for Girls, which has benefited from a rehabilitation project by the German Agency for International Cooperation, “represents the successful, longstanding partnership between the two countries”.

Siefker-Eberle added that learning environments for around 80,000 students have improved as a result of cooperation between the two countries.