Malaysian embassy celebrates its National Day

AMMAN — The Malaysian embassy in Amman held a reception on the occasion of the country's National Day and Malaysia Day 2024, attended by a number of officials, diplomatic corps and guests. The event was graced by Haifa Najjar, minister of Culture of Jordan.

“Malaysia turns 67 this year. This means 67 years of nationhood ; 67 years of our journey in building a united and prosperous nation ; and 67 years of us living together as one happy nation despite our diversity in ethnicities, religions, customs and way of life,” said the Malaysian Ambassador Mohamad Nasri Abdul Rahman.

“Malaysia aspires to become an inclusive and developed nation. Malaysia remains steady and evolved from a resource and commodity-based nation during the colonial rule, into a country that plays host to robust manufacturing and service sectors. Today, Malaysia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economy facilitated by its proactive policy measures, despite facing strong global headwinds”, he added.

Malaysia and Jordan enjoy the warm and brotherly state of bilateral relations since 1965 and have cooperated in many areas of mutual interest at the international platforms. “It is expected that trade and investment between the two countries will continue to grow as we work closely on various sectors such as tourism, education, Islamic banking, pharmaceuticals and energy,” he said.

Malaysia is also working with Jordan in response to urgent needs of the Palestinians in Gaza. The ambassador said, “Malaysia has cooperated with Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation and Department of Palestinian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan in support of various humanitarian activities for the Palestinians. Malaysia has also cooperated with the King Hussein Cancer Centre in support of the Palestinian cancer patients from Gaza, as well as with the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs for the maintenance of Al Aqsa Mosque.”

 On the record, there are currently 1,856 Malaysian students studying in Jordan, and 1,603 Jordanian students enrolling in various universities in Malaysia. “The partnership between Malaysian and Jordanian universities have further strengthened through 28 active Memoranda of Understanding and 191 Memoranda of Agreement for research projects under the Matching Grant Initiative,” he said.

Jordan is one of the recipients of the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Program (MTCP) since 1986. According to the ambassador, “as of July 2024, a total of 510 Jordanian participants have enrolled various programs under the MTCP namely agriculture, economy, finance, education, environment, diplomacy, public administration, health, science & technology and ICT”.