Jordan-Singapore ties rooted in ‘shared destiny’— ambassador

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah’s message on coexistence and religious tolerance reflects the true image of Islam, Singapore’s Ambassador to Jordan Shamsher Zaman said on Monday.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the occasion of his country’s national day, Zaman said that relations between Singapore and Jordan are “excellent and deep-rooted”.

Jordanian-Singaporean ties are supported by “a shared destiny” as they are both small multi-cultural and multi-religious states with limited natural resources, the ambassador said.

Zaman said that Jordan was one of four countries that co-sponsored Singapore’s application to join the UN following the country’s independence in 1965.

The ambassador said that “we were honoured” to welcome His Majesty to Singapore in June 2019 for his third State Visit where he delivered the keynote address at the inaugural International Conference on Cohesive Societies.

He noted that the trade exchange volume between the two countries in 2020 reached about $134 million, referring to the Singaporean companies’ interest in the Jordanian textile and chemical substances sectors.

Zaman noted that in 2004 Jordan became the first Middle Eastern country Singapore signed a free trade agreement with. He pointed out that last month the two countries signed an avoidance of double taxation agreement.

The envoy noted that Jordan remains a popular destination for Singaporean students to pursue their studies. He said that more than 90 Singaporean students are enrolled at Jordanian universities, primarily studying Islamic jurisprudence and the Arabic language.