Polish ambassador to Jordan Lucjan Karpinski valued the positive impact of the actions of Jordanian diplomacy, and especially of King Abdullah II, on maintaining the stabilization of the region.
Speaking to the Jordan News Agency (Petra) on the occasion of his country’s national day, the ambassador said that the recent visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II to Poland may constitute a further stimulus for the development of bilateral cooperation.
The envoy also highlighted the bilateral economic and trade cooperation, noting that last year’s trade exchange recorded a slight increase and remained at a level of over $100 million despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “According to Polish Central Statistical Office data for January-June this year, Polish-Jordanian trade turnover showed a clear upward trend compared to the same period of 2020 and amounted to $57.9m, up by 19.4% compared to six months last year,” he said.
As for the tourism cooperation, the ambassador described Jordan as one of the most peaceful, safe and tourist-friendly Arab countries, voicing hope the number of tourists traveling from Jordan to Poland would increase once the pandemic subsides. “In the record-breaking year 2019, more than 80,000 tourists flew to Jordan from Poland. This is mainly due to an effective advertising campaign run by the Jordan Tourism Board in Poland and Poles’ predilection for low-cost airlines,” he added.
As a contribution to grow in the bilateral tourism sector, the envoy announced that starting November 5th, 2021, three direct connections between Amman and: Warsaw, Cracow and Pozna have been scheduled, with two flights weekly (Monday and Friday) on each route, so in less than 4 hours one can reach both countries in very affordable and convenient manner.
The ambassador also spoke about the fight against terrorism and the cooperation with Jordan within the Global Coalition Against Daesh; as 255 Polish soldiers and auxiliary personnel are currently involved in the activities.
Turning to Middle East issues, Karpinski valued the role of Hashemite dynasty as guardians of Holy Sites in Jerusalem, believing it needs to be supported by international community. “Poland is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, especially with regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and it is a firm proponent of a two-state solution as the only viable option,” he added.
He also pointed out that his country is aware of the numerous challenges Jordan is facing while providing assistance to a significant number of refugees, adding that Poland intends to consistently implement humanitarian assistance to countries in the Middle East, including Jordan. “Poland’s Embassy in Amman is successfully implementing projects aiming at providing access to specialized diagnostics for patients at high risk of cancer in Zaatari Camp as well as at providing access to specialized gynecological and obstetric care for women and their children from the poorest regions of Jordan, Jordan Valley and North Jordan, where the access to medical assistance is difficult,” he said.
Source: Jordan News Agency