Kazakhstan embassy marks national day, hailing strong ties with Jordan

AMMAN — Jordan-Kazakhstan ties are developing in the spirit of friendship, mutual trust and constructive dialogue, said Nur-Sultan’s envoy to Amman on the occasion of his country’s national day. 

In an interview with The Jordan Times, Ambassador Aidarabek Tumatov said that since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1993, both countries have established “strong bonds of friendship”, thanks to the political will of the two nations’ leadership and their “warm personal ties”.

Over the past quarter of a century, the relations between two countries, the basis of which was laid by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev and His Majesty King Abdullah, have been developing, he said.

“We can witness it through active mutual contacts on all levels. The most recent meeting of the newly elected President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev with His Majesty King Abdullah was held on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly last September in New York,” the envoy said.

Tumatov highlighted the recent visits of Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh to Nur-Sultan, noting that First President Nazarbayev and the current President Tokayev are scheduled to visit Jordan in the near future.

“Kazakhstan views Jordan as it’s one of the most reliable and important partners in the Arab world,” he said.

Kazakhstan and Jordan give special joint attention to agriculture, renewable energy, pharmaceutical industry and tourism, the ambassador noted. 

Touching on cooperation in the tourism sector, Tumatov said that Jordan was included in the list of 48 countries whose nationals have the right to enter the Republic of Kazakhstan under the simplified visa regime in 2012, while Kazakhstan nationals can obtain a Jordanian visa upon arrival at the airport in Amman. 

In regards to bilateral trade, the envoy noted that during the first 9 months of 2019, trade volume reached only $38 million.

“Although the above-mentioned figure is six times higher than the entire turnover for the previous year, I’m confident that it does not correspond to the economic potential of the two countries and requires active joint efforts,” he said.

Within the framework of the “open sky regime”, Kazakhstan is working towards launching flights between the main cities of the two countries, he said, highlighting a Memorandum of Understanding recently signed to develop bilateral cooperation in the field of civil aviation. 

Concerning investment opportunities for Jordanian businesses, the diplomat noted that Kazakhstan has access to the 200-million person market of the Eurasian Economic Union. 

“In this regard, we offer tremendous opportunities for Jordanian investors to develop mutually beneficial joint projects in the fields of agriculture, engineering, tourism and recreation. At the same time, we are also interested in expanding trade cooperation, given that Jordan is a regional transit hub. In this regard, we are ready to support the Jordanian businessmen who are willing to work with us,” he said.

Turning to regional issues, Tumatov highlighted that Nur-Sultan, like Amman, is highly interested in establishing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. 

“Our government has hosted 14 rounds of Astana Process on Syria, attended by Jordan as one of its observers. Many international observers agree that this process has made a significant contribution to the end of human suffering and human losses in that country,” he said.  

“Meanwhile, we are convinced that the settlement of the Palestinian problem is a prerequisite for the establishment of long-term peace and stability in the region,” the envoy stressed, adding that Kazakhstan sees the two-state solution, ensuring the establishment of a Palestinian state according to the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as the way to peace.

On bilateral partnership against war and terror, the envoy noted that Kazakhstan, being in the centre of Eurasia, puts great emphasis on ensuring regional stability and security on the continent.

He highlighted that Kazakhstan highly appreciates the wise policy of His Majesty King Abdullah, who managed to maintain the country as an oasis of peace and stability in a turbulent Middle East region. 

Considering exceptional efforts of His Majesty in matters of peace and stability, during his last official visit to Kazakhstan in 2017 the King was awarded the first “Nazarbayev Prize for Contribution to a World without Nuclear Weapons and Global Security”, he noted.

Both Kazakhstan and Jordan strongly condemn any manifestations of terrorism and extremism, and successfully cooperate in the international arena on this issue, in particular in the United Nations, he said.

Kazakhstan shares the vision of His Majesty in solving problems in the interaction of world religions and denominations, as reflected in the Amman Message in the framework of the World Interfaith Harmony Week.

“We highly appreciate the personal involvement of His Majesty King Abdullah, who participated in the V Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions held from June 10-11, 2015 in Kazakhstan. His personal involvement in this Congress was a clear signal to the international community that if there is concerted action and mutual support on the part of political leaders and religious hierarchy, humanity will be able to effectively confront the challenges of the modern global world.”