‘Jordan one of most peaceful, safe and tourist-friendly Arab countries’

AMMAN — Despite the negative impact of the pandemic, last year’s Jordanian-Polish bilateral trade exchange recorded an increase, remaining at over $100 million, according to Poland’s Ambassador to Jordan Lucjan Karpinski.

The ambassador made these remarks in an email conversation with The Jordan Times on the occasion of Poland’s Independence Day on Wednesday. 

Polish-Jordanian trade traditionally records a surplus of exports over imports, which amounted to over $77 million in 2020, according to the ambassador.

Central Statistical Office data for January to June this year showed that Polish-Jordanian trade exchange presented "a clear upward trend" compared with the same period of 2020, amounting to $57.9 million, (up 19.4 per cent compared with a six month period last year).

Karpinski expressed Poland’s satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations with Jordan, saying: “We consider Jordan as an important political partner in the Middle East. The recent visit of His Majesty King Abdullah to Poland may constitute a further stimulus for the development of bilateral cooperation." 

"We see the positive impact of the actions of Jordanian diplomacy, and especially of His Majesty, on maintaining the stabilisation of the region,” he added. 

Karpinski indicated that Poland “counts on” strengthening cooperation with Jordan in the agri-food sector.

“Poland can offer high quality products and innovative technological solutions,” the ambassador said.

He also noted that there is great potential to increase the number of tourists travelling from Jordan to Poland once the pandemic stops. 

The ambassador highlighted that as of November 5, there will be three direct connection flights between Amman and Warsaw, Krakow and Poznan, with two flights scheduled weekly (Monday and Friday) on each route.

“Jordan is known as one of the most peaceful, safe and tourist-friendly Arab countries. In the record-breaking year of 2019, more than 80,000 tourists flew to Jordan from Poland. This was mainly due to an effective advertising campaign run by the Jordan Tourism Board in Poland and Poles' predilection for low-cost airlines,” he continued.

The ambassador emphasised the numerous challenges the Jordanian government faces in providing assistance to a large number of refugees. 

He noted that Poland intends to “constantly” implement humanitarian assistance to countries in the Middle East, including Jordan in 2021 and 2022. 

“Poland’s embassy in Amman is successfully implementing projects aimed at providing access to specialised diagnostics for patients at high risk of cancer in Zaatari Camp, as well as providing access to specialised gynaecological and obstetric care for women and their children from the poorest regions of Jordan, Jordan Valley and North Jordan, where access to medical assistance is difficult,” Karpinski noted.

The ambassador highlighted that Poland is a firm proponent of a two-state solution as the only viable option, praising the role of the Hashemite dynasty as the guardians of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.

For the occasion of Polish Independence Day, the Polish embassy organises a series of culinary workshops for Jordanian students of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and representatives of diplomatic institutions, according to the ambassador.

The Polish embassy, in collaboration with Maciej Nowicki, head chef at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanow and one of the most prominent promoters of royal culinary heritage in Poland, will introduce Polish 17th century cuisine in an event at the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts in Amman.