Germany pledges continued support for Kingdom's development projects

Germany on Sunday pledged continued support for Jordan's development projects in the various fields, highlighting the economic cooperation between the two countries.

At a press conference to launch the German presidency of the EU, German Ambassador to Jordan Klaus Burkhardt reiterated his country's support for developments and reform projects in the Kingdom and efforts to enhance the national economy.

"We support Jordan's initiatives and development projects and we look forward to furthering cooperation in the various fields," the German ambassador said.

Stressing that Jordan is a key partner of the EU and Germany in the region, Burkhardt said the European-Jordanian partnership was marked by intense economic, cultural and technical cooperation.

He said Germany, Europe's most powerful economy, is Jordan's number one European trading partner as the bilateral trade volume amounted to around 580 million euros in 2006 compared to 555 million euros in 2005.

Germany is Jordan's third largest trading partner after the US and China.

Jordan's exports to Germany, estimated at 30 million euros, include agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and salt, while its main imports are machinery, automobiles, energy and electrical appliances.

Burkhardt noted that Germany, which also chairs the presidency of the G-8 for one year, is one of the Kingdom's biggest international donors, with total assistance currently standing at 1.2 billion euros.

In addition, over the past 10 years, the EU has granted Jordan 570 million euros under the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the ambassador said.

European member states also support technical and cultural cooperation and people-to-people activities with several specialised institutes and programmes. The mission and activities of 14 German institutions in Jordan alone are a particular example of the wide range and diversity of European-Jordanian cooperation, according to a German embassy statement.

As an example, Germany promotes cultural relations through the Goethe Institute and is cofounder of the German-Jordanian University.

The German embassy, in cooperation with the EC Delegation in Amman, will be the main contact point for European-Jordanian cooperation in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Burkhardt stressed that his country sees eye-to-eye with Jordan on the need to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and seize the current opportunity available, stressing that the creation of a viable Palestinian state is one of the core issues for the EU.

The German diplomat emphasised his country's support for His Majesty King Abdullah's initiative to hold an international conference to discuss the crises in the Palestinian territories, Iraq and Lebanon.

Burkhardt also referred to the Monarch's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Saturday, where both sides called on the international community to work together to revive the stalled peace process between Israelis and Palestinians.

They told reporters after a two-hour meeting that peace negotiations can help establish an independent Palestinian state that lives side by side with Israel, stressing that progress in the Middle East conflict will have a positive effect on the situation in the region as a whole.