Strategic meeting between top ministers promises economic surge and concerted regional action.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister in Doha on Sunday, following a remarkable increase in trade volume and cooperation between the two countries in the past year.
The high-stakes meeting focused on charting the future course of the relationship between the two nations, with the key agenda being an exploration of new avenues for cooperation and formulating a united front on various pressing regional issues.
A statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry highlighted that the ministers deliberated on diversifying economic and investment ties, increasing trade, and operationalising the joint investment fund.
The fund, established in 2009, amounts to a staggering $2 billion.
In their conversation, both ministers stressed the importance of taking substantive steps to boost cooperation across key sectors, reflecting the long-standing strategic relations between Jordan and Qatar.
The two countries will also convene the joint high committee later this year, with plans to endorse various agreements that will strengthen the legislative frameworks necessary to boost cooperation in vital investment sectors.
Safadi expressed Jordan’s gratitude for Qatar’s support of the Jordanian community, which consists of roughly 70,000 individuals, including about 15,000 who found employment in Qatar under Sheikh Tamim’s 2018 initiative to provide 20,000 jobs.
The bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries has seen a marked increase, with trade volumes soaring from $163 million in 2021 to $2.011 billion in 2022.
The first quarter of this year witnessed a trade exchange of $58 million.
Qatari tourism in Jordan also experienced significant growth, with the number of tourists from the Gulf state increasing from 8,907 in 2021 to 14,241 in 2022.
Qatari investments in Jordan are now approximated at $2 billion.
Regional developments
The ministers also delved into the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, emphasising the need to de-escalate tensions as a precursor to initiating meaningful and effective peace negotiations based on the two-state solution.
They called for a halt to illegal Israeli activities that undermine the two-state solution, cautioning against the potential fallout of continued economic pressures, settlement expansions, forced expulsion of Palestinians, and military operations against Palestinian cities.
They also urged Israel to uphold the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Sheikh Mohammed affirmed the importance of the Hashemite Custodianship’s historical role in preserving Jerusalem’s holy sites, while both ministers highlighted the significance of achieving Palestinian national reconciliation and unity.
Regarding the crises in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, and the pursuit of stability in Lebanon, the two ministers underscored the need for joint Arab action to resolve regional crises and advance Arab and Islamic interests.
Safadi expressed his appreciation for Qatar’s substantial role in supporting Gazans and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
