AMMAN - Jordan and Italy will foster cooperation in the area of education with a soon-to-be-signed exchange agreement between the University of Abruzzo in the south of Italy and the University of Jordan, according to a senior official from the government of the Abruzzo region.
Minister of Public Works Mimmo Srour from the Abruzzo region said the future cooperation programme will allow students and teachers from both universities to exchange knowledge and further contribute to building a Mediterranean intercultural dialogue in line with the principles of the Barcelona Declaration.
Signed in 1995 between the European Union (EU) and 12 Mediterranean non-member countries, including Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, the declaration is intended to establish a comprehensive Euro-Mediterranean partnership in order to turn the Mediterranean into a common area of peace, stability and prosperity through the reinforcement of political dialogue and security, an economic and financial partnership and a social, cultural and human partnership.
Srour believes university exchanges can build on "the great need that exists on both sides of the Mediterranean to know about each other".
"We need to bring back attention to the Mediterranean and give it back its central role in culture and dialogue. The history of the area is not only built on war and conflict, but on all kind of exchange that were done throughout the past centuries."
After a meeting on Monday with Minister of Agriculture Muzahim Muhaisin, Srour also underlined the major contribution the Abruzzo region could offer Jordan to improve its water management for agricultural purposes.
As part of his two-day visit to Jordan, the Italian official also visited the Jordan National Gallery in connection with a project to temporarily host some of its paintings and sculptures in the Abruzzo Museum.
By María Font de Matas
© Jordan Times 2008
