Germany to celebrate ties with Jordan in two weeks of activities

AMMAN — Germany celebrates its friendship with Jordan this month with two weeks of events highlighting the bilateral relationship that a range of German actors scattered across the country helped strengthen over the years.

Beginning on Sunday with a jazz concert and lectures on archaeology at the Jordan Museum, the activities will touch on the cultural, social and development fields of cooperation.

“One major feature of our bilateral relationship is that it is shaped by a variety of different actors,” German Ambassador to Jordan Ralph Tarraf told The Jordan Times in an interview ahead of the celebrations.

“We have a decentralised system of German institutions specialised and active in different fields. This allows them to be in close contact with and very responsive to their direct Jordanian counterparts,” he added.

German-cultural centre Goethe Institut will screen a series of German movies, the German-Jordanian University will open its campus in Madaba for a job fair, while political foundations will host workshops and organise public lectures.

Flagship German car manufacturers showcasing new vehicles as well as pharmaceutical and engineering companies will be present at the opening event.

“German Weeks” is about bringing together all German institutions, organisations and companies active in the country, Tarraf said.

“We wanted to give them an opportunity to present their work to highlight the fact that our bilateral relations are not only and exclusively shaped by the German embassy but by a variety of institutions active in the field of culture, education, development cooperation, archaeology and political development,” he added.

The events will be updated on a daily basis on www.facebook.com/pages/German-Weeks-2014/ 246424858876960.

Over the past two years, Germany has provided JD110 million in humanitarian aid to the Kingdom amid the Syrian humanitarian crisis, and ongoing development cooperation projects in the water sector amount to more than JD450 million, according to the German embassy.

“We have several institutions working in development cooperation with Jordan. They concentrate on the water sector and have been active for more than 40 years. These institutions will present some of their projects and initiatives to the public,” Tarraf said.

As some German political foundations with offices in Amman are not only active in the Kingdom, but extend their work beyond the Kingdom’s borders to Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the envoy said Jordan is a very important partner for Germany in the region.

“We broadly share the perceptions and the visions of the country’s leadership with regard to regional issues,” he added.

Bringing together all Germany’s institutions in the Kingdom would help shape the future of Berlin and Amman’s longstanding friendship, according to Tarraf.

“We want to promote knowledge and understanding of Germany’s activities and presence in the country and are very happy to receive feedback from the Jordanians regarding their expectations on how to shape our bilateral relations in the future.”