AMMAN - Jordan and Canada share an important bond, as "both countries believe in moderation, dialogue and diversity", according to Canadian Ambassador Margaret Huber.
"The most important connection between our countries is the human link, so many citizens from both sides visit, study and have business relations," Huber said in an interview with The Jordan Times.
The diplomat explained that in the short time she has been in Jordan she was surprised by the "amazing numbers" of Canadians who work for international agencies here, and Jordanians who have visited Canada or have family members there.
"I can say that one thing that stands out since my arrival is the extreme warmth of Jordanians, including those who have no idea that I have an official position. Welcome to Jordan is the first comment anyone tells me," Huber said.
Although only 2,000 Canadians are registered at the embassy, the actual number is believed to be at least double that.
A major development in bilateral relations was His Majesty King Abdullah's visit to Canada in July.
The Monarch's discussions with Prime Minister Stephen Harper focused on the Palestinian situation, Middle East peace talks and the situation in Iraq.
The King also met with business leaders in Ottawa, to strengthen trade and investment between the two countries. According to Huber, discussions on joint projects to attract Canadian investment in Jordan were successful.
"I was privileged to attend those meetings and both leaders were very specific about the kind of direction they would like to take in hopes for a closer partnership," she noted.
Bilateral trade, however, is not very high, with the balance in Canada's favour.
Imports from Canada stood at $56.3 million Canadian dollars (JD41.2 million) last year, while Jordan's exports were 7.7 million Canadian dollars (JD5.5 million), according to the Department of Statistics.
Jordan imports mainly aircraft, machinery, lumber, automobiles, agricultural commodities and pharmaceuticals from Canada, while its exports consist largely of textiles, clothing, food products and electrical machinery.
Looking into the future, Huber is confident that numbers will change.
"This is a very exciting period for Jordanians and Canadians... Talks will begin this fall on a free trade agreement and the new Foreign Investment Protection Agreement (FIPA), which will hopefully spur new business," she said.
The "soon to be signed" FIPA is a Canadian initiative that provides important disciplines to open international markets and make them more secure for Canadian investors.
Huber conceded that bilateral trade and investment have room for growth but cited developments like the resumption of RJ flights to Montreal and the increasing number of university exchanges as encouraging signs for the future.
Canadian aid to Jordan has been relatively consistent, between five to six million Canadian dollars over the past five years. This year the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) committed 6.25 million in direct assistance, according to the embassy.
The head of the CIDA programme in Jordan, Kristen Chenier, told The Jordan Times that bilateral assistance does not include regional programmes which Jordan also benefits from.
"Each year we contribute $15 million to UNRWA, and Jordan is the main recipient as it has the largest number of Palestinian refugees in the region," Chenier said.
She noted that the biggest sector Canada contributes to is education as CIDA has recently committed to $20 million spread over four years, to the Education Ministry's "Education Reform for the Knowledge Economy" programme.
A gender equality and social fund was recently launched to support local organisations, which CIDA will grant $4.6 million towards, for a five-year span.
"Education, human resource development and gender equality have been the three main themes that we have consistently supported," Chenier added.
In addition, Canada supports the Kingdom's mine clearance efforts by contributing $1.5 million worth of equipment to the Royal Corps of Engineers.
Jordan, one of the first parties to the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, will be hosting the Conference of States Parties to the Convention next month.
Both countries have also played a key role in the development of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Ottawa has worked with Amman to promote the ICC in the region.
According to Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Jordanian government is committed to continuing with its privatisation programme, which will offer significant investment opportunities for Canadian investors.
An aviation agreement was signed with the Canadian government last month which stipulates that any numbers of carriers from both countries are allowed to serve up to two destinations of their choice and to operate scheduled air services between the two countries.
Royal Jordanian Airlines, which currently operates two flights per week to Montreal from Amman, and Air Canada, are the two carriers that should immediately benefit from the accord.
As for Canadians, Ambassador Huber thinks that most have very little knowledge of the Kingdom or its wealth of historical tourist sites.
The diplomat said she is in the "delightful process of exploring the country and plans to take guests gliding in Wadi Rum," noting that her three- to four-year tenure here will probably not be enough time to discover all the sites.
As part of her mission here, the current embassy in Shmeisani will be relocated to the Canadian Chancery between the fourth and fifth circles. Canada aims to make the building eco-friendly and a "welcoming landmark".
As the world's second largest country by total area, Canada occupies most of North America. It shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest. The vast country has a wealth of unused land with a population of just over 33 million.
A federation comprising 10 provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages.
By Linda Hindi
© Jordan Times 2007
