Romanian ambassador hails ‘stronger than ever’ ties with Jordan

AMMAN — Jordan represents a key partner for Romania in the Middle East, a constant factor of balance and moderation and a strategic nexus connecting Asia, Africa and Europe, according to Romanian Ambassador to Jordan Nicolae Comanescu.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the occasion of his country’s National Day, which falls on December 1, the envoy said that Romania and Jordan have a long history of political, diplomatic and economic cooperation, which has been “permanently consolidated”.

“I truly believe that after 55 years of diplomatic ties our partnership is stronger than ever and we are both continuing to work on building bridges between our two states,” Comanescu said.

The two countries have always had a close relationship and a strong and active coordination regarding regional policies and sensitive files, such as the Middle East Peace Process, terrorism, violent extremism, radicalisation, Syrian conflict, crisis in Iraq, humanitarian and refugee issues, the ambassador said.

Considering the COVID-19 crisis, this year the foreign ministers have had two bilateral consultations via VTC (video teleconferencing). 

“I would like to highlight here the participation as a special guest in September this year, via VTC, of the Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Relations and Expatriates/MAEE, HE Mr Ayman Safadi, to the annual Romanian diplomatic reunion organised by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

Touching on bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the ambassador said Romania gives special attention to the economic cooperation with Jordan and to the further expansion of bilateral investments and trade, which are important topics on the foreign relations’ agenda.

“Jordan opened itself to Romania as a strategic export market in the Middle East, thereby creating space for our business to trade, and established strong partnerships that elevated our bilateral economic relation to a new high,” Comanescu said.

“As of 2019, our total bilateral trade stood at $251.5 million. The bilateral trade had an upward trend over the last years, which has been beneficially for both economies. Romanian companies are interested in cooperating with Jordanian companies, especially in sectors such as: ICT, energy, agriculture, water, health and tourism. 

“The Romanian investments in Jordan are mostly in manufacturing, food and services. Also, the Jordan Cable Systems company has as majority shareholder a Romanian investor. Another large project is developed by the Romanian company Hidroconstructia for Arab Potash in the Dead Sea area,” the envoy said.

Regarding tourism cooperation, Comanescu said that both countries are currently working on simplifying travel procedures.

“We have simplified the visa process through the online application system, which substantially reduces the time to wait/grant visas,” he said.

When asked about the scientific and academic cooperation, especially considering the large number of Jordanian students who graduated from Romanian universities, the envoy said it has been a priority to strengthen cooperation in the field of higher education.

“Although Romania can no longer grant the same number of scholarships as in the ‘70s and’ 80s, I consider that the establishment of direct relations between Romanian and Jordanian universities is an effective measure of increasing student exchange for the next period, including by accessing European programmes such as Erasmus Plus,” he said.

Recently the two sides signed a Programme of Cooperation in the field of education for 2019-2024. Thus, the Romanian government increased the number of scholarships for Jordanian students to 53 per year (bachelor, master, PhD specialisation), the ambassador said.

“The approximately 13,000 Jordanian citizens who graduated from universities in Romania — they are now successful specialists with considerable experience in various fields, who enjoy the respect of the communities they belong to and of Romania in a special way — act like a catalyst for the development of the bilateral relationship. Their success is a source of pride for the Romanian school system and maintaining their connection with our country is a privilege for the embassy,” he said.

Elaborating on cooperation during the coronavirus pandemic, Comanescu said both countries are working and coordinating in order to have a common stance to confront the pandemic.

“The very good functioning of the bilateral sectorial cooperation mechanisms, especially at the level of the ministries of foreign affairs, was reconfirmed recently by the support granted by the Jordanian foreign ministry for the repatriation of 161 Romanian citizens stranded in Jordan due to the measures imposed by the authorities to stop the spread of the COVID-19,” he said.

In regard to the Romanian community in Jordan, the ambassador said the number of Romanian citizens in Jordan stands at around 5,000; most of them are part of mixed families, along with Jordanian citizens who studied in Romania during the 70s and 80s. Most Romanian citizens also obtained Jordanian citizenship as a result of founding a family. 

“I take this opportunity to convey my best wishes of health and prosperity to all the Romanians that live in the friendly country of Jordan as well as to the hospitable Jordanian people! Happy National Day, Romania!”