Petra News Agency
Monday, March 22, 2004
Monarch, Croatian leader discuss bilateral ties
AMMAN, March 22 (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday discussed bilateral ties and cooperation in several fields with Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, who left Jordan late Sunday.
Talks also covered the current situation in Palestine and Iraq, and Jordan's efforts to find a way to stop the current wave of violence in the Palestinian territories by reviving the peace process.
At a banquet the King held in honor of Mesic and his accompanying delegation, the two sides stressed the need to promote the role of the private sector in their countries.
The two leaders called on Jordanian and Croatian businesspeople to establish joint ventures, particularly in the tourism, IT and energy sectors.
The Mediterranean coastal country's principal economic activities include agriculture, foodstuff, textile, wood and timber, metalworking, chemical and petroleum industries, electrical manufacturing industry, shipbuilding, shipping industry and tourism.
The Jordanian Chambers of Commerce and Industry yesterday signed a cooperation agreement with their Croatian counterparts.
At Sunday's meeting, the two sides agreed to activate cultural and scientific cooperation by increasing the number of scholarships for Croatian students to study Arabic language and Islamic studies in Jordan.
Jordan said it would offer Croatian Muslims opportunities to pursue Arabic and Islamic studies at Jordanian universities.
King Abdullah also highlighted investment opportunities in Jordan and reviewed the incentives and privileges offered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ).
He extended an invitation to Mesic and Croatian businesspeople to attend the World Economic Forum that will convene at the Dead Sea in April.
For their part, the Croatian side expressed interest in contributing to the reconstruction process in Iraq, through partnerships with Jordanian firms.
The Croatian president arrived on Friday for a three-day visit, during which he toured ASEZ and met with senior officials on ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.
Following a meeting with Prime Minister Faisal Fayez, also Sunday, Mesic told reporters that the talks focused on plans to set up joint ventures between the two countries, particularly in the fields of pharmaceuticals, tourism and energy.
Mesic held similar talks with Planning and International Cooperation Minister Bassem Awadallah, who voiced Jordan's willingness to help Croatia benefit from the Kingdom's expertise in the concerned fields.