Canadian ambassador hails ties with Jordan on national day 

AMMAN — Marking Canada’s national day, Canadian Ambassador to Amman Donica Pottie said that Jordanian exports to Canada have increased over the past 25 years, at an annual rate of 21.75 per cent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Jordanian exports rose from $885,000 in 1997 to $121.4 million in 2021, while Canadian exports to Jordan increased for the same period by an average of 5.76 per cent to reach $59.7 million in 2021, she said. 

Jordan is the only Arab country with which Canada has signed a free trade agreement, entering into force in 2012, she noted, adding that the two countries also signed labour, double taxation, environment and investment agreements.

Highlighting the untapped potential in the signed free trade agreement, she said that over the past three years, the embassy has promoted this agreement with the aim of increasing bilateral trade between the countries.

Affirming Canada's support for Jordanian small- and medium-sized companies and manufacturers, she referred to the embassy's cooperation with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) and the Aqaba Development Corporation to promote Aqaba port as a distinguished hub and entry point to the Middle Eastern markets for Canadian exporters.

Pottie described Jordan as a key partner to Canada in the Middle East, stressing the “long-standing Jordanian-Canadian” relations.

Since 2016, Canada has intensified its support for Jordan in hosting Syrian refugees and combating extremism and terrorist threats posed by Daesh in the region, Pottie added. 

Canada contributed more than $4 billion in responding to the crises in Iraq and Syria and addressing their impact on Lebanon, Jordan and the region between 2016 and 2022, she said, noting that it has also allocated more than $575.7 million to Jordan since 2016, including $298 million in development assistance, $209.8 million in humanitarian aid and $67.9 million in support of civil security.

The ambassador indicated that Canada is the sixth largest donor to development efforts in the Kingdom.

On women, peace and security, the ambassador said that women issues are prioritised in Canada, as it published its first ever national action plan on women, peace and security in 2011 as a roadmap towards achieving UN Security Council resolution No. 1325.

She added that Canada also adopted the Feminist International Assistance Policy to support other countries in improving equality.

Gender integration is not a one-size-fits-all approach, she said, underlining that Jordan has made great strides in regard to issues of women, peace and security.

She added that the Kingdom is considered a pioneer in the region and a model that other countries can follow by developing and adopting the Jordanian national action plan for peace and security for women, noting that the inclusion of women and girls is vital to the long-term stability of any country.

In regard to the opening of the Canadian embassy in Jordan in 1982, the ambassador stressed that this decision reflects the importance of relations with Jordan, pointing out that diplomatic relations between the two countries began in 1964.

Canada and Jordan conduct regular high-level bilateral consultations in many areas, such as foreign policy and defence cooperation, as these consultations provide a valuable means to assess the partnership between the two countries, she said.

Canada commends the initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah in establishing the Aqaba Process to enhance coordination and international cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism, she said. 

She highlighted the global contributions of the Aqaba Process, referring to the participation of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Aqaba meetings in 2020.

She affirmed Canada's commitment to support Jordan in providing domestic security and defending its borders, noting that both countries signed a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation in 2012.

Two memoranda of understanding were signed on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and related materials, increasing security cooperation and achieving stability in the country. 2013 and 2016 respectively, she added. 

On the Palestinian cause, the ambassador stressed that her country supports the two-state solution and the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.