MALAYSIA-JORDAN JOINT COMMISSION MEETING ON THE CARDS

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, June 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Jordan are expected to hold a joint
commission meeting (JCM) in the Southeast Asian country in early 2011.

According to Malaysian ambassador to Jordan Abdul Malek Abdul Aziz,
the JCM will serve as a platform to move forward agreements and memoranda of
understanding (MoUs) already inked between the two countries.

"There's big potential for further cooperation between us but we have yet
to really optimise them," he told Bernama in a recent interview.

"With the proposed JCM early next year in Malaysia, we hope to move
bilateral relations to a higher level," he said.

Malaysia established diplomatic relations with Jordan in 1965, with the
former opening an embassy in Amman in 1994 initially headed by a charge
d'affaires and later upgraded to ambassadorial level in 2000.

Jordan established its embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1997.

Total trade between Malaysia and Jordan in 2009 stood at RM613.16 million
(US$188.66 million), with balance of trade of RM442.08 million (US$136.02
million) in Malaysia's favour.

Malaysia's major export items to Jordan include wood products, transport
equipment, processed food, palm oil as well as electrical and electronic
products.

Abdul Malek noted that there were ample opportunities for cooperation
between the two countries, especially in the areas of economy, investment,
tourism and education.

"The Malaysian business community should consider vast investment potential
in Jordan in fields like tourism, property development and housing," he said.

According to him, the kingdom has many industrial zones offering numerous
incentives to lure foreign investors to come and set up their operations.

"Jordan is also forging ahead with its development initiatives in the
coastal area of Aqaba in the south," he said.

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone encompasses an area of 375 square kilometres
and offers global investment opportunities in fields ranging from tourism to
recreational services, from professional services to multi-modal logistics, from
value-added industries to light manufacturing.

Abdul Malek also expressed hope that more Jordanians would seek business and
investment opportunities in Malaysia.

"Being at the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia can be the gateway for the
Jordanian business community to enter the Asean market of over 500 million
people. It's a potentially big market for Jordan," he said.

The ambassador said he was encouraged that Royal Jordanian Airlines had
resumed flights to Malaysia on June 2 after a seven-year suspension.

This, he said, would boost business and tourism between the two countries.

Malaysia recorded 5,156 tourist arrivals from Jordan in 2007 which rose to
7,087 in 2008.

A total of 5,664 visitors from the kingdom visited Malaysia during the
January-September 2009 period.

Abdul Malek said Jordan was currently home to 1,134 Malaysians pursuing
studies in medicine, dentistry, Islamic studies, economy and science.

He said Malaysian and Jordanian universities should look into the
possibility of enhancing collaboration between them, including undertaking joint
research activities and establishing twinning programmes.
-- BERNAMA