The two countries have shared strong relations since as far back as 1972.
The visit of Jordan’s King Abdullah II is a reflection of the strength of ties between Qatar and the Hashemite kingdom, Doha’s envoy to Amman Sheikh Saud bin Nasser Al-Thani said on Sunday.
“We are pleased with this royal visit and the good that will result from it including the increase in cooperation between the two countries across new and promising fields,” Sheikh Saud told Jordan’s Al Rai newspaper.
The Qatari envoy noted that the region is witnessing various changes “that require diligent work” for the benefit of all countries and people.
Jordan’s King and Queen Rania Al Abdullah are expected to travel to Qatar for a two-day visit from 13-14 October. Sources also told Amman’s media that King Abdullah will be meeting with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Last year, Qatar’s amir visited Jordan and offered to provide 10,000 jobs for Jordanians while also pledging $30 million in assistance to the Hashemite’s military pension fund.
Mutual visits between key officials from Qatar and Jordan have also been reported in recent months.
In August this year, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi and King Abdullah during a visit to Amman.
“We discussed ways to enhance our bilateral cooperation and a number of regional issues, especially the Palestinian issue,” the Qatari diplomat said after the meeting with Safadi.
The meeting saw both diplomats assuring that Jordan will continue to coordinate with Qatar to help provide Palestinians with humanitarian assistance and working towards reaching “comprehensive peace” in Palestine.
In a joint press conference, Sheikh Mohammed said the Gulf state’s relations with Jordan remain “distinguished, fraternal and are based on clear and solid foundations”.
Qatar-Jordan bilateral ties
Qatar and Jordan share strong bilateral relations, with at least 60,000 Jordanians working in various sectors in Doha including health, education, finance, hospitality, and information technology.
Qatar’s investments in Jordan’s Stock Exchange reached $847 million at the end of September, making the Gulf state the seventh-largest stakeholder in Jordanian stocks in terms of ownership of securities by nationality.
Earlier reports said Qatari investments in Jordan exceeded $4.5 billion in all sectors, including $550 million in private sector investments. Of those investments, $950 million is equity in companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange.
Jordan’s exports from Doha’s private sector to Jordan also reached $36 million last year.
The two countries have also cooperated in the military field.
In 2019, King Abdullah met with Qatari Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah to sign bilateral cooperation agreements between Doha and Amman’s armed forces.
In the same year, Jordan appointed Zaid Al-Lozi, secretary general of the country’s foreign ministry, as its ambassador to Doha.
Qatar’s amir was also one of the first leaders to call King Abdullah in April following news over a rumoured coup in Jordan.
Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, a former head of the royal court, as well as several others were arrested in response to the failed coup.
Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube
