Day: June 25, 2022

Temperatures are set to drop Saturday, but remain around their seasonal average. The weather will be fair in hilltops and plains, and hot in the Kingdom’s remaining areas, the Jordan Meteorological Department (JMD) said in its daily update.

According to the JMD report, the weather on Sunday will remain moderate in hilltops and plains, and relatively hot in other regions with northwesterly moderate winds, often causing dust in Badia regions.

On Monday, a slight rise in temperatures is forecast, and the weather will be fair in mountains and plains, and sweltering in the remaining regions with northwesterly moderate winds.

As for Tuesday, similar weather is forecast to prevail as the day earlier.

Also on Saturday, mercury in the capital Amman will hit 31 degrees Celsius, dipping into 17C during night, while the port city of Aqaba will see a scorching 39C, sliding to 26C during night hours.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordanian-Omani relations are “deep-rooted” in various fields at all levels and are currently witnessing development, Omani Ambassador to the Kingdom, Sheikh Hilal bin Marhoon bin Salem Al Maamari, said.

The envoy’s remarks came at a ceremony held Friday evening, to hand over shields for a number of Jordanian charity associations and institutions, in appreciation of their cooperation with Omani embassy in implementing charitable campaigns and providing various forms of aid to the underprivileged people.

Oman attaches “remarkable” importance to charitable work and its values, he said, expressing thanks and appreciation for these associations’ and institutions’ efforts in serving their communities.

In addition, the diplomat noted honoring came as an incentive for these charitable associations and institutions to enhance joint cooperation with Omani embassy in Jordan within the Sultanate’s efforts made to support humanitarian and charitable efforts.

For their part, Jordanian charities’ heads lauded Omani embassy’s role and its cooperation in providing charitable and humanitarian works.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, Omani and Jordanian folkloric songs were performed, featuring Dhofar governorate’s art, as well as a group of Jordanian heritage dances.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Hajj visa holders for 2022 need to administer a Covid-19 test, within a maximum period of 72 hours before the date of their travel to perform pilgrimage, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affair announced.

In a statement released Saturday, the ministry said negative Covid-19 test certificate is a condition to enter Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage, in addition to the meningitis vaccine.

First convoys of Jordanian pilgrims are scheduled to head for Saudi Arabia to perform pilgrimage rituals on Monday, June 27.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC), Khalil Haj Tawfiq, called on focusing on pan-Arab economic cooperation and integration, led by the private sector, which should be supported by Arab governments to facilitate its work.

Speaking at the 17th Turkish-Arab Economic Cooperation Summit, which concluded Friday evening, in the Turkish city of Istanbul, he said: “Integration should made in its first stage among Arab private sector’s institutions, which today lack coordination.”

According to an ACC statement on Saturday, Haj Tawfiq said the Arab private sector “works without a compass due to existence of multiple references, despite the availability of many commonalities and investment opportunities in various countries, which are still unseized.”

The Arab private sector, he noted, is “professionally and morally obligated” to achieve pan-Arab economic integration, especially in the difficult circumstances facing food security, which is related to prices and the citizen’s capability to purchase foodstuffs.

To push cooperation, he called for holding a special meeting in the Kingdom for Arab private sector actors to orchestrate efforts and achieve integration.

On action to realize these goals, he said each country should identify investment opportunities and benefits within clear plans to be adopted by all states.

In addition, he noted ACC is “fully” prepared to host this proposed meeting as soon as possible, and invite Arab private sector institutions to come up with a plan that commits governments to investment projects.

He also pointed to the need to create a private body, which could be a joint economic council or an Arab union to orchestrate Arab private sector’s efforts, especially in light of global economic difficulties, climate change challenges, rise in energy and commodity prices, and supply chains imbalance.

Haj Tawfiq recommended establishment of an Arab data bank, which would provide an investment database, map, benefits and project costs for each Arab country.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Locally, Haj Tawfiq said Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision is a road map for the next ten years, highlighting the government’s effort to complete a new investment law to improve the Kingdom’s business climate, in light of its stability and trade agreements signed with various global economic blocs.

He also stressed the need to revive Turkish-Jordanian free trade agreement (FTA) that was suspended in 2018.

Elaborating influence of scrapping the FTA, he said the Kingdom’s imports from Turkey amounted to $683 million in 2017, compared to %140 million in exports, while imports rose during the past year to $691 million, compared to $98 million in exports.

In this regard, he noted any disproportion of Jordan- Turkey trade balance could be addressed by setting exceptional lists to protect Jordanian industries.

On steps to push cooperation, Haj Tawfiq called on Jordanian traders and investors to participate in international, regional and Arab forums and exhibitions to get acquainted with participating countries’ products, seize opportunities to establish trade partnerships, network with companies and open new markets.

Investment in Palestine is “a national and religious duty,” with the aim of supporting Palestinian people’s steadfastness, in light of the Israel’s practices and its continuous attempts to control Palestinian economy.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply’s department of Industrial Property Protection, in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), held the closing virtual session of the intellectual property policies project in Jordanian universities and research institutions.

Director of the department Raya Ensour emphasized the importance of developing intellectual property policies in Jordanian universities and research institutions due to their “positive” impact on promoting creativity and innovation, which positively reflects on the development of the national economy in line with the Jordan Vision 2025.

The meeting reviewed the project’s work approach, the stages and methods used to successfully achieve the aspired for results in universities and research institutions, as well as challenges facing these institutions in setting intellectual property policies and the lessons learned from the project.

Source: Jordan News Agency

President of the Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA), Hamdi Tabbaa, discussed with French Ambassador to Jordan, Véronique Vouland, economic relations and investment prospects, at the embassy headquarters.

According to a JBA statement released Saturday, discussions went over the opportunities available in the promising economic sectors, and ways to develop relations between the two countries’ business communities.

During the meeting, Tabbaa referred to the JBA’s “unrelenting” efforts in consolidating Jordan’s economic, trade and investment relations with other countries and its “constant” keenness to promote investment in the Kingdom’s most important opportunities, with the aim of turning them into value-added projects for the Jordanian economy.

In addition, he affirmed the JBA’s desire to enhance Jordan-France economic relations during the next phase in various economic sectors of mutual concern, to achieve common interests.

Jordan’s market enjoys multiple privileges, especially its commercial openness and several trade agreements signed with various countries on the Arab and international levels, he pointed out.

He highlighted importance of increasing Jordan-France volume of trade exchange and diversify the export base of goods and services, which would help achieve this goal and reflect the two countries’ capabilities.

For her part, Vouland confirmed the embassy’s readiness to cooperate with the JBA, with the aim of pushing the bilateral relations towards “broader” horizons.

The diplomat also highlighted desire of French businesspeople and investors to increase investments volume in Jordan according to “clear” projects and push efforts to network business communities to achieve “true” partnerships.

The envoy called for paying more attention to French investments, which would stimulate businesspeople to increase their investments in Jordan, pointing to the importance of improving economic relations, especially in light of ‘true” joint cooperation opportunities that would increase the two countries’ trade exchange volume.

Source: Jordan News Agency