Amman, Sept. 15 (Petra) --Jordanian and French lawmakers on Tuesday called for activating parliamentary diplomacy and expanding joint cooperation in political, economic, investment and development fields.
The remarks came during a meeting between Chairman of the Jordanian-French Parliamentary Friendship Association MP Ibrahim Tarawneh and members of the association and a French parliamentary delegation from the French National Assembly, headed by Philippe Lottiaux.
In a meeting attended by French Ambassador to Jordan Franck Gellet, Tarawneh highlighted the "depth" of Jordanian-French relations and praised France’s support for Jordan and its positions on Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian cause, as well as its support for the Hashemite custodianship of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
He identified several areas for expanded economic and investment cooperation, including information technology, startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, public-sector development, automation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence.
Tarawneh also highlighted opportunities for joint cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry, water, climate change and agriculture, calling for French expertise and support for national water projects, particularly the National Carrier Project.
Meanwhile, Jordanian lawmakers also called for "greater" French support for Jordan in addressing the burdens of hosting large numbers of refugees and for developing the Christian pilgrimage route in Jordan, including the Baptism Site and Mount Nebo, as an international religious and cultural tourism project.
Lottiaux and the accompanying delegation praised Jordan’s role, under His Majesty King Abdullah II's leadership, in promoting regional security and stability, expressing the French Parliament’s interest in expanding cooperation with the Jordanian Lower House.
Urging parliamentary exchanges to reach closer positions on issues of mutual interest, the delegates said France would continue supporting peace and stability efforts in cooperation with Jordan.
The two sides agreed on the importance of maintaining mutual coordination between the two parliamentary friendship associations and strengthening related diplomacy to broaden cooperation in political, economic, investment, cultural and tourism fields.
//Petra// NQ
