Poland looks to increase business cooperation with Jordan — diplomat

AMMAN — Ties between Jordan and Poland are growing in all sectors, with the potential to develop them further, according to Krzysztof Bojko, ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Jordan.

Bojko said the bilateral trade volume has improved, currently standing at $80 million, with hopes that it will be better this year, as “Poland seeks to attract more Jordanian businessmen” to enter into business deals with his country.

“I am satisfied with this development, but I see chances to develop this sector more,” the envoy told The Jordan Times in an interview marking his country’s national day, celebrated annually on May 3.

For the purpose of encouraging import and export movement between the two countries, Poland’s port city of Gdansk and Aqaba recently signed a partnership agreement, Bojko said.

“Gdansk is the biggest port in Poland and the majority of Polish exports go through it,” the ambassador noted, adding that a delegation representing the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority visited Gdansk this month.

Turning to Polish assistance for local communities in Jordan, Bojko said his country will support three projects this year, and the first will be through opening and equipping eight computer labs at schools in Aqaba, some 330km south of Amman.

The two other projects will be implemented in Amman and Irbid, 80km north of the capital, and seek to empower women economically through training them on various skills.

Bojko also noted that a Polish archaeology mission is involved in excavations in Bait Ras in Irbid, as a first step towards further cooperation in the future.

The number of Polish visitors to Jordan, however, has dropped recently according to the ambassador, who explained that the embassy is working to increase it by spreading the word that Jordan is safe.

Before the crisis in the region, up to 32,000 Poles used to visit the Kingdom annually, Bojko said. This number has dropped by half.

On Sunday, the embassy is organising a conference in Amman under the title “Poland/V4 and the EU — Jordan and the Middle East”.

Participants will discuss several issues related to the current developments in the Middle East.