‘Malaysia looks to opportunities for cyber security cooperation with Jordan’

AMMAN — Malaysian Ambassador in Amman Zakri Jaafar on Sunday said he will build on his country’s continued cooperation with Jordan’s higher education sector and explore new areas for partnership, including cyber security.

The ambassador, who presented his credential to His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday, said Malaysia and Jordan enjoy distinguished relations in various fields, especially in education as Malaysian students prefer the Kingdom as a location to pursue their studies in the region. 

“The field of education will remain... [a] priority sector that I will work on enhancing during the next three years, but I will also look into new areas such as trade and cyber security,” the Malaysian diplomat said in an interview with The Jordan Times.

According to the ambassador, 3,100 Malaysian students study at the Kingdom’s universities, specialising in different majors like medicine, dentistry, Arabic and Sharia (Islamic law).

“Some 400 new students will arrive from Malaysia next week to pursue their higher education in different majors at several universities,” Jaafar said.

In addition, several Malaysian students have come to Jordan to continue courses in Arabic and more delegations will be coming in the near future, he added.

Highlighting the field of cyber security as one that offers great potential for cooperation, Jaafar said Malaysia is keen on working with Jordanians in the ICT sector as Jordan is home to talented human resources and there is room for joint projects to combat cyber crime.

He added that the two countries will work on enhancing bilateral trade, which is currently in favour of Malaysia.

Turning to tourism, the diplomat said a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed before the end of this year, noting that it will play an important role in boosting tourism on both sides.

“Jordan has a lot to offer to Malaysian tourists and there is room for more collaboration in this regard.”

Cooperation has also extended to aid, with Malaysia sending humanitarian assistance to Gaza through Jordan, Jaafar said, adding that NGOs in Malaysia will continue to send aid to the coastal enclave through the Kingdom.