Jordan, Cyprus relations are deep dating back to Neolithic times — Cypriot minister

AMMAN — Cyprus Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou said that historical links between Cyprus and Jordan “go back into the ancient history of the region”.

Because of its position as an island, the minister said that Cyprus was at the crossroads between the land and maritime trade. “In modern times, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1962 and one of the important aspects of bilateral ties is culture.”

During her visit to Amman, Kassianidou met on Tuesday with Jordanian minister of culture, Haifa Najjar, at the Royal Cultural Centre, where they discussed ways to boost cultural ties between the two nations.

Najjar extended an invitation for Cyprus to partake in the 2024 Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts, and Kassianidou encouraged Jordan’s participation in the Limassol International Book Fair and the annual “Platform for Dance” festival in Nicosia.

Kassianidou was also received by H.H. Princess Dana Firas, president of the Petra National Trust, and secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Emad Hijazeen. The negative impact of climate change on monuments was a topic of discussion between two parties.

“The contacts between Cyprus and its neighbours date from the Neolithic times,” Kassianidou said in an interview with The Jordan Times.

“Cyprus and Wadi Faynan share this common mining heritage as Faynan was a leader of the copper production in the Early Bronze Age before Cyprus picked up, becoming the main producer of copper,” Kassianidou said, adding that Jordan was an important commercial hub during the trade between southern parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab Gulf with the Mediterranean.

“Today we have very strong cultural ties, friendship and collaboration between two countries,” Kassianidou emphasised, noting that culture is a binding and common ground for everyone.

“Through cultural interaction, people can better understand each other and they can build mutual trust and understanding,” Kassianidou said, adding that “Jordanian and Cypriot cuisine is very similar, which is just one example of the interconnectedness between the two nations”.

Other similar aspects are music, material culture and handicrafts, Kassianidou said, highlighting the need to utilise culture for building stronger ties between Jordan and Cyprus.

“Younger generations should be given better opportunities through education as well as the respect for universal human values,” Kassianidou said. It is very easy for Jordanians and Cypriots to build a long-lasting friendship because they share the same principles of family relations and patriotism.

Regarding cooperation between Jordanian and Cypriot cultural institutions, Kassianidou said that many agreements between the two countries were signed, and one of them is about fighting the illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural properties.

“Cyprus also suffers from illicit trafficking. Monuments were stripped of their icons and mosaics, private collections ended up in the black market and we are still trying to repatriate these artefacts,” Kassianidou said.

“We have lots of collaboration in terms of conservation and projects that are related to conservation of mosaics,” Kassianidou said, noting that she collaborated with director general of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Fadi Balawi, in the project on ancient materials.

“There’s lots of scope for collaboration between Cyprus and Jordan, including the student exchange programmes,” Kassianidou said, adding that one of the fields that need focus is work on cultural routes because of the proximity between Jordan and Cyprus.

“It’s only an hour-long flight between two countries. If someone travels through the region from other parts of the world they can use that route to visit both countries at the same time. We can create cultural routes to connect two areas,” Kassianidou said.