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NEW DELHI — Several Jordanian officials are due in India in the near future to discuss bilateral relations, with defence cooperation as the main issue, according to a senior Indian official.

Salman Khurshid, Indian minister for external affairs, said his country has distinguished relations with Jordan, adding that several meetings are planned to develop these ties further.

“With Jordan we have a two-way investment, and we have a very good relationship with the Royal family,” Khurshid said at a meeting last week with journalists from West Asia and North Africa (WANA).

The minister said a delegation representing the Royal Jordanian National Defence College will visit India soon to discuss cooperation in the field of defence and to be familiarised with Indian defence schools.

In addition, Khurshid noted that his country is preparing to receive Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, but “we are working on the dates for his visit.”

“We [are also] considering cooperation in the fields of information technology and financial services,” the official said in reply to a question by The Jordan Times.

The Indian foreign minister said WANA countries are important to his nation, which is closely watching changes in the region.

“You come from a region that is important to us, and your people should decide for themselves, and whatever you decide will be acknowledged by us,” Khurshid told journalists representing Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Yemen.

The minister noted that there are 7 million Indians working in WANA countries, and this channels more than $70 billion to the Indian economy.

He added that almost 60 per cent of “our oil supplies come from your region. We heavily depend on your countries. You are good friends and good partners.”

Khurshid said the trade volume between India and the countries of the region stands at $180 billion.

Meanwhile, E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, minister of state for commerce and industry, noted that more than 10,000 Indians currently work in the Kingdom’s textile and health sectors, as more than 20 factories in Jordan are run by Indians.

Indian investments in the Kingdom, he said, are estimated at $60 million.

“The exchange of visits between our countries will further strengthen economic cooperation,” Natchiappan said, adding: “We are happy to have further talks to help in this aspect.”

AMMAN — The All Jordan Youth Commission is working on establishing offices in badia areas and camps in order to reach as many young people as possible.

The aim behind the commission’s upcoming step is to communicate with young Jordanians in the governorates and remote areas, giving them the opportunity to take part in voluntary activities and discover their inner talents, the commission’s director, Sami Al Maitah said.

“Young people in the capital already have so many chances, we want to provide as many programmes as possible for Jordanians in the governorates, because there is a lack of opportunities there,” he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

Established in September 2006, the impetus for the commission came during an annual conference held for young people to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah to discuss several issues, according to Maitah.

“The commission is affiliated with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development,” he said, noting that the commission’s activities cover all the country’s regions.

“The commission is successful because it does not impose ideas on young people; it receives their ideas and projects and implements them,” Maitah said, adding that the commission is open for all youths in the Kingdom.

Its activities cover economic and political empowerment, in addition to voluntary and social work.

“For example, the commission implemented around 250 activities, with the participation of 75,458 young Jordanians during the parliamentary and municipal elections between 2007 and 2013,” Maitah said.

The commission holds voluntary activities during national occasions instead of organising concerts, he said.

“We want to hold events that benefit society and youths in general.”

Moreover, the commission took advantage of last December’s blizzard by signing an agreement with the Civil Defence Department (CDD) to train young people on how to deal with severe weather conditions.

“During the snowstorm, the commission’s volunteers helped CDD personnel open roads that were blocked due to accumulated snow, so we thought we should train young people in the governorates to enable them to face such conditions in the future,” he added.

Despite what has been achieved so far, Maitah stressed that young Jordanians cannot assume their rightful role as the builders of the country’s future as long as officials disregard their potential.

“Young people’s role is really significant and most of the challenges society faces are related to their issues,” he noted.

Maitah added that the commission established a unit to address women’s issues and organise several activities targeting women in Jordan.

The commission is currently working on organising a national conference with the aim of discussing young people’s outlook towards reform and the Elections Law, he added.

“We also want to hold activities to link young Jordanians who reside outside the Kingdom with their compatriots in the country,” Maitah said.