Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó visited Jordan in mid-April to further strengthen the bilateral economic cooperation between Budapest and Amman. At a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, Szijjártó said that the two countries have doubled bilateral trade turnover since 2010.
Hungary and Jordan will cooperate in the future to promote Hungarian medical technologies and equipment to improve Jordanian health services. ‘Today, we agreed on further steps necessary to enhance economic cooperation, which will enable Hungarian healthcare technologies and medical devices to contribute more significantly to the development of the quality of Jordan’s healthcare system,’ elaborated Péter Szijjártó in the press conference.
The two countries will also increase their trade of food products and have potential opportunities to cooperate on nuclear technology and education. ‘We are preparing to conclude an agreement allowing our food industry trade to grow. And since we are a country that uses nuclear energy, and Jordan also believes in the peaceful use of nuclear energy, this opens the possibility for significant technological, educational, and training cooperation in this field as well,’ added the Hungarian minister.
Strategic Partnership between the EU and Jordan
The meeting between the two countries’ delegations also addressed regional challenges and the need to support stability in Syria and Lebanon, which can lead to refugee crises and a severe burden on Jordan. The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade also emphasized that Jordan is a key country in reducing migration by accommodating millions of refugees in its territory. He stated that ‘without Jordan, new waves of migrants would start moving toward Europe, and Europe would be unable to handle this challenge.’ According to Szijjártó, both Central Europe and the Middle East have serious security challenges, and Hungary ‘highly values Jordan’s dedicated efforts in peacebuilding, which contribute to promoting stability in the region.’ Therefore, the Hungarian government supports international initiatives to assist Jordan in this process.
‘Without Jordan, new waves of migrants would start moving toward Europe, and Europe would be unable to handle this challenge’
The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade also pointed out that Hungary and Jordan are in the same position, since both have war in their neighbourhood and are committed to peace. Szijjártó declared that the earlier ‘diabolical, brutal terrorist attacks’ should not happen again in the Middle East, highlighting the importance of ensuring that ‘everybody can live in security and calm’. ‘We highly appreciate Jordan’s efforts to make peace and ease tensions; we appreciate Jordan’s firm and committed actions against extremism,’ said the Hungarian minister.
Due to the interconnected security of both regions, Péter Szijjártó emphasized the necessity of promoting a strategic partnership between the European Union and Jordan, highlighting that the Jordanian military should benefit from the European Peace Facility. As a committed partner to this approach, Hungary had already offered funds for this aim within the NATO framework.
Hungarian Support to Jordan
The Hungarian government has also been committed to supporting Jordan in recent years through 13 religious-humane development programmes and has contributed to the renovation of churches. In terms of education, Hungary offers 400 scholarships to Jordanian students annually.
‘Jordan not only speaks about the peaceful coexistence of different religious denominations but also genuinely means it’
Péter Szijjártó, during the press conference with his Jordanian counterpart, also welcomed the fact that Jordan not only speaks about the peaceful coexistence of different religious denominations but also genuinely means it, as demonstrated by the national flag being flown at half-mast throughout the country upon Pope Francis’s death. Jordan is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The King of Jordan is the protector of the Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade praised Jordan’s leadership for doing a lot to promote peaceful coexistence among different religious denominations. ‘We have provided over one billion forints to support the local Christian communities so far. Among these contributions, the construction and renovation of the Baptism Site church stand out, which was consecrated earlier this year,’ added the Hungarian minister.
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