(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)
Amman, Nov. 30 (Petra) -- The Romanian Ambassador to Jordan George Cristian Maior on Tuesday said that the Kingdom represents a strategic pivot in the Middle East and one of the closest partners of the United States and the transatlantic community in this complex and important region.
Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on the occasion of his country's national day, the ambassador said that the high level of stability and a modern entrepreneurial sector also represent a key factor for Jordan to be considered as a regional hub for investment, adding 'concretely, we are keen to contribute to enhancing our cooperation with a special focus on the expansion of cooperation in such fields as security, agriculture, investment and trade, energy, transport and infrastructure, IC&T, medicine, research and education, as well as people to people contacts'.
He stressed that the relations between Romania and Jordan have a long history of political, economic, and cultural cooperation that has been permanently enhanced over the past 56 years of diplomatic ties, appreciating the Kingdom's role and its intense efforts in the region, considering it a significant partner in the Middle East, with balanced and moderate approach.
'Romania has always voiced its support for the Kingdom's aspirations for closer cooperation with the EU, including through the opportunities offered by the innovative new Agenda for the Mediterranean. We also support a closer cooperation with NATO. Romania commends the importance of joint work with Jordan in the global fight against international terrorism,' he said.
The envoy hailed the ongoing bilateral extension of the economic and sectorial cooperation; as Romanian companies are currently involved in the development of Jordan's electrical grid and the rehabilitation of one dig at the Dead Sea.
'On August 2021, the volume of bilateral trade increased by 72.37% compared to the same period last year, with Romania ranking among the first 15 exporting countries in the Kingdom and 3rd in the top of EU members states, having cereals and live animals as main products,' he said, noting that the total investment of the nearly 3500 registered Romanian companies that have Jordanian capital reached, as of last month, almost USD28.5 million, proving that Romania offers a favorable and friendly business environment for Jordanian investors.
Commenting on the tourism ties, Maior indicated that during the years; Jordan became one of the top Middle East destinations for Romanian citizens, reaching a peak of more than 15000 tourists in 2019. 'Even in the hardship times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Romanian travel agencies were among the first foreign entities to organize trips to the Kingdom, with several weekly direct flights' he said, voicing hope that this sector will grow tremendously in both nation's interests with their great cultural heritage sites recognized by international bodies such as UNESCO.
As for the scientific and academic cooperation, the envoy highlighted the bilateral higher education cooperation with more than 10 Erasmus Plus agreements signed with different Jordanian universities, adding 'the two sides are collaborating based on the Program of Cooperation in education for 2019 under which the Romanian Government has increased the number of scholarships for Jordanian students to more than 50 yearly for bachelor, masters and Ph.D., as the Romanian education system is well known and very much appreciated in Jordan.'
The envoy also mentioned that the Romanian community in Jordan stands at over 5,000 people, while more than 14,000 Jordanian citizens have studied in Romania during the last decades, which truly represents the deep ties between the two countries. 'Therefore, we will continue supporting the different cultural programs, one of them aiming to start a Romanian language course,' he said.
Speaking about his country's position on the Palestinian issue, he emphasized Romania's traditional, constant stance and ongoing support for implementing the two-state solution, with a need to implement confidence-building measures to facilitate the resumption of direct dialogue between the two parties, expressing the Romanian authorities' willingness to contribute to the international community's efforts to resume direct negotiations by generating the necessary conditions for achieving this strategic and important goal.
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