Cypriot businesspeople urged to invest in Jordan

AMMAN — Industry and Trade Minister Maha Ali on Tuesday urged Cypriot businesspeople to consider investment opportunities available in Jordan and ways to benefit from them, in the best interest of the two countries.  

Speaking at the opening of the Jordanian-Cypriot Business Forum, Ali highlighted the incentives offered to investors and sectors where there are numerous investment opportunities, such as ICT, healthcare, education and renewable energy.  

She added that the event represents a chance to increase cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of trade and investments, according to a ministry statement. 

The minister underlined the need for joint efforts to increase trade and to stimulate the private sector to benefit from the available opportunities.

Also speaking at the forum, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades thanked the Amman Chamber of Commerce and the city of Pafos for organising the event, highlighting economy, transport, trade and tourism as fields for expanding cooperation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He urged businesspeople from the two countries to explore opportunities for joint investments.

Anastasiades said he looks forward to holding talks with His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday to discuss regional developments and bilateral ties, according to Petra.

Ali highlighted challenges in Jordan in light of regional conditions, mainly the socioeconomic repercussions of the crisis in Syria, noting that the Kingdom currently hosts around 1.4 million Syrians.

Due to border closures, Jordan has not been able to reach conventional markets and is currently looking into ways to penetrate non-conventional ones, she said, according to the ministry statement.

Ali highlighted the country’s efforts to open new markets for Jordanian products and reach new consumers, within the framework of free trade agreements signed with its  commercial partners.