(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Desiring to consolidate and strengthen the existing sincere friendship and fraternity ties, serving the prosperity and interests of both nations and believing that solidarity among states shall be an instrument of general peace, Turkey and Jordan have decided to sign a Friendship Treaty.
As the 18th ambassador of Turkey to Jordan since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Turkey and the Kingdom, following the signing of the Friendship Treaty on January 11, 1947, I have committed myself to pursuing the letter and spirit of this agreement, whose preamble reads as above. To this end, and just as previous Turkish ambassadors who served in Jordan, I exerted all my efforts to deepen and broaden our relations in all aspects, with the help of the genuine hospitality and kind assistance of all Jordanian brethren during my four-year tenure, which is coming to its end soon.
In pursuit of a lasting and just peace, and of prosperity in our region and beyond, the two brotherly countries always strive for more cooperation and collaboration. This mutual conviction and spirit is the heritage from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, and King Abdullah I, the founder of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
These two far-sighted leaders, who spared no efforts to promote a sustainable peace in our region, developed a model friendship and proved that Turks and Arabs were tied by unshakable and unwavering bonds deriving their strength from millennia-long common history and socio-cultural likenesses.
Being cognisant of the resoluteness of the leaderships of Turkey and Jordan to further cement the relations, Turkish envoys have conducted their duties diligently to lay one more stone to the bridge connecting us.
To this end, the signing of the Free Trade Agreement in December 2009 was of paramount importance. The agreement helps improve the quality of trade relations between Turkey and Jordan.
In 2011, the volume of trade between our countries was around $600 million. Jordan's exports to Turkey have been tripled since 2009.
Furthermore, in February 2010, visa requirements between Turkey and Jordan were lifted. Thus, within a free trade and free visa zone, the interaction and contacts, as well as reciprocal investments by businessmen, have been rising steadily.
Today, the total worth of Turkish investments in Jordan exceeds $200 million. Turkish construction companies have been undertaking important projects, such as Disi water conveyance, for years. As a result of the facilitation of travel and commercial interaction, the number of Turkish people visiting Jordan exceeds 200,000 annually, whilst Jordanians visiting Turkey number more than 100,000.
We always believed that we had to re-explore our close sociologic, linguistic and historical similarities. To this end, a Turkish language and literature department was opened in 2010 at the University of Jordan, with the support of Turkish and Jordanian governments. Today, 90 students are studying at this department.
At Yarmuk University, more than 200 students have been taking Turkish language courses, held by native Turkish lecturers, annually. Moreover, a great number of Jordanian students pursue their higher education in Turkey, some helped by scholarships granted by the Turkish government.
The Turkish Cultural Centre has been in operation in Amman since 1969. A great number of Jordanians have learned Turkish here. Also, every year Turkish students and academicians come to Jordan to study Arabic, as Jordan offers the best-quality language opportunities. In this regard, it should be recalled that Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutolu studied Arabic in Jordan in the 1990s for academic purposes.
The number of Turkish citizens in Jordan stands at around 4,000. Many of them hold dual citizenship. They certainly contribute to solidifying the existing ties between us.
In regard to political matters, we have excellent coordination and cooperation on all issues of common concern. A number of high-level reciprocal visits are thorough evidence of our commitment to harmonise the approaches to regional and global issues by candidly discussing and exchanging points of view.
During my tenure, the issue that most interested me was the Arab peoples' determined quest for democracy, freedom and dignity.
My firm belief is that peoples will achieve their quest sooner or later, despite the setbacks and ongoing crackdown they face.
On the other hand, the continued impasse in the Middle East peace process has been source of a great concern, affecting peace and stability in the region, given the fact that the Palestinian issue stands at the centre of all matters in our region.
Despite Jordan's relentless efforts to help restart the process, due to Israel's intransigence and unilateral actions the question remains unresolved. To overcome this stalemate, the international community must put pressure on Israel, with a view to achieving the two-state solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
I will always remember my term in office in Jordan with great honour and pleasure. I wish to thank all my Jordanian brothers for their staunch support and to convey my heartfelt wishes of prosperity and development for Jordan, as well as success towards the current reform process under the wise guidance of His Majesty King Abdullah.
The writer is the ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Jordan. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.