JIC chief upgrading ties with India, Italy

AMMAN — Jordan has "distinguished" relations with India, especially at the economic level as India is the third biggest economic partner for Jordan after the US and China, Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) President Thabet Al Wir said Wednesday.

Wir made these remarks at a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Jordan Anil Trigunayat to discuss means to enhance investment and commercial ties between the two countries, in addition to boosting local exports to the Asian country, according to a JIC statement.

Phosphate tops Jordanian exports to India, the JIC president noted, calling on Indian companies to benefit from the entrepreneur economic and investment sectors such as renewable energy, ICT, services and infrastructure.

He also expressed JIC's readiness to provide all types of support to Indian investments in the Kingdom for their added value to the national economy.

For his part, Trigunayat said India supports Jordan's development and is among the biggest investors in the Kingdom's fertilisers and textile fields, noting that the bilateral commercial exchange volume stands at around $2.2 billion.

In this regard, he added that India aspires to increase the value of commercial exchange to $5 billion by 2025, noting that his country has recently allocated $100 million as soft loans to help Jordan implement some projects, and to enhance bilateral economic and development cooperation.

Also on Wednesday, Wir met with Italian Ambassador to Jordan Giovanni Brauzzi over bilateral economic and investment ties, and praised the Jordanian-Italian partnership and highlighted the importance of supporting it at all levels, according to an another JIC statement.

Wir also reviewed the outcomes of London conference, especially those related to rules of origin and their role in increasing Jordanian exports to the European market.

The meeting also discussed the possibility of holding a Jordanian-Italian investment forum this year with the participation of both countries' public and private sectors to acquaint Italian businesspeople with investment opportunities in the Kingdom.

Brauzzi expressed his country's keenness to increase Jordanian exports to Italy and raise Italian investments in the Kingdom, noting that exchanging visits and holding business forums are effective tools to stimulate commercial exchange, the statement added.