In Jordan like in Europe, Germany and France strong partners

By David Bertolotti and Birgitta Siefker-Eberle

Today, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are signing a new treaty on Franco-German cooperation and integration, the so-called “Treaty of Aachen”. It will not replace but complement the “Elysée Treaty” of 1963, through which Germany and France had set out a major new course for their relationship, thereby ending a century old enmity. Thanks to the will of great politicians, such as Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle, our two nations were able to make peace. While the Elysée Treaty was about reconciliation, the Treaty of Aachen aims at achieving greater convergence within the European framework. The new treaty will build on the Franco-German friendship that has developed over the past five-and-a-half decades, and which lies at the heart of European integration.

January 22 continues to be celebrated, as it has been for the past 15 years, as “French-German Day” not only in Germany and France, but around the world. As ambassadors to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, we are jointly remembering the past and are grateful for where reconciliation has led us. Our cooperation in Jordan ranges from the political sphere to culture and economic support. We are committed to further pooling our strengths, together with our Jordanian hosts, to improve the daily lives of all citizens.

A good example of how French-German cooperation achieves results in the daily life of the citizens of this country is water. In Jordan, water is extremely scarce and the water sector is facing severe financial challenges. France and Germany have, therefore, established a close cooperation in supporting the Jordanian water sector over the past years. In particular, we are jointly funding a development policy loan with a volume of 300 million euros that supports structural reforms in the water sector. Moreover, we join forces in funding large scale infrastructure projects to improve water and sanitation services in Irbid and Ramtha, with a total of 152 million euros.

The miracle of Franco-German reconciliation cannot be fully grasped without having come to terms with our past and the two World Wars which wreaked havoc on Europe. They had also dire consequences for its neighbourhood, particularly the Middle East. 

Last year, we jointly commemorated the centenary of the end of World War I. Here in Jordan, the Franco-German Cultural Fund financed a project on connected history between Europe and the Middle East. In order to collect Jordanian oral memories on this period, the Institut Francais de Jordanie, the Institute Francais du Proche-Orient and the Goethe-Institut initiated last year a collaboration with Mutah University, Yarmouk University, University of Jordan and Al Hussein Bin Talal University. Their findings were presented to a broader audience at the National Library of Jordan last November, and reminded us that the period from 1914 to 1918 and its aftermath were a crucial turning point in the modern history of the Middle East, leading to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of new states, such as Jordan. We are particularly glad to announce today that this project will continue in 2019 and extend its focus on places of remembrance in Jordan.

We strongly believe that closer cooperation does not come at the cost of national sovereignty, but instead makes countries stronger together. The new Treaty of Aachen will significantly intensify Franco-German cooperation in all policy fields. In particular, we are pooling our strengths to ensure our countries are well equipped to face future challenges in fields such as digitalisation, education and technology. We are also creating the conditions for closer integration in the border regions, offering practical solutions to our citizens on issues such as daycare for their children, healthcare and school education, thereby laying the foundations for the next generation to continue the Franco-German path.

David Bertolotti is the French ambassador to Jordan and Birgitta Siefker-Eberle is the German ambassador to Jordan