Jordan, Singapore sign capacity-building deal

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday stressed the strong relations between Jordan and Singapore and the need to further build on these relations through boosting expertise exchange.  

The premier made the remark during a meeting with Singapore’s Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, who is currently visiting the country, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

In the presence of Jordanian and Singaporean officials, Ensour attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Public Sector Development Ministry, Jordan Institute for Public Administration and the Civil Service College in Singapore. 

Under the MoU signed by Public Sector Development Minister Khleef Al Khawaldeh and Zulkifli, the two sides will cooperate and share expertise in building employees’ skills and capabilities. 

Khawaldeh said the MoU came in line with the ministry’s efforts to build partnerships with distinguished international and Arab institutes to improve the skills of government employees.  

Under the MoU, the two sides will hold several training programmes, workshops and joint discussion sessions within the coming three years, he added.   

Zulkifli said the MoU was a follow-up on the outcomes of His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to Singapore in February this year, expressing hope that it will achieve its goals and, at a certain stage, benefit the government sectors in other Arab countries. 

Also on Tuesday, Interior Minister Hussein Majali met with Zulkifli and discussed ways to enhance political, economic and security cooperation, Petra reported.

Majali said the regional circumstances have greatly affected vital sectors in the Kingdom, noting that combating terrorism and resorting to dialogue to restore regional stability is the best means to address challenges facing Jordan and its neighbours.

He also expressed Jordan’s willingness to cooperate with Singapore in police work, according to Petra.

For his part, Zulkifli commended the Kingdom’s positions regarding regional issues, calling for increasing Jordanian-Singaporean cooperation in various areas.