Amman, Oct. 12 (Petra) -- The Jordan-EU Investment Conference, scheduled for Nov. 19 at the Dead Sea, offers an important opportunity to attract greater interest in investment opportunities in the Kingdom, said Spanish Ambassador to Jordan Jose Luis Pardo.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Pardo said Jordan and Spain are working together to prepare a new Partnership Framework for Cooperation for 2026-2030, identifying four priority areas: improving access to quality primary healthcare, empowering women, expanding infrastructure, and promoting social cohesion.

He noted that Jordan has been designated a priority country under Spain’s International Development Cooperation Programme for decades, implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).

On bilateral trade, Pardo said Spanish exports to Jordan have ranged between 300 million and 400 million euros annually over the past decade, while imports from Jordan have stood at between 40 million and 80 million euros.

Since 2010, Spanish consultancy and engineering companies have secured contracts in Jordan worth more than 840 million euros cumulatively, he said, noting that most involve engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects. Renewable energy accounts for the largest share, with wind and solar projects representing around 60 percent of the total value, alongside projects in mining, industry, oil and gas, and water.

Pardo said Jordan and Spain are among the world’s most open economies, creating significant potential to expand bilateral trade in goods and services across a wide range of sectors. More than 700 Spanish companies maintain regular business relations with Jordanian firms, he added.

On the Palestinian issue, the ambassador reaffirmed Spain’s unwavering commitment to implementing the two-state solution in line with the roadmap outlined in the New York Declaration, describing it as the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace. The solution would enable an independent Palestinian state and allow Palestine and Israel to live side by side in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.

Regarding Jerusalem, Pardo expressed deep concern over developments in the holy city in recent years. He reiterated Spain’s support for the historic role of the Hashemite Custodianship over Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites, praising the continued efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah II to preserve the city’s historic and legal status quo, identity and holy sites.

On Christian pilgrimage, Pardo said Jordan and Spain signed a cooperation agreement last year between their respective pilgrimage routes, the Camino de Santiago and the Camino de Egeria. The latter is named after Egeria, a Spanish woman and pilgrim who visited holy sites in Jordan in the fourth century AD.

He said the partnership provides an opportunity to raise Jordan’s profile on the global Christian pilgrimage map and showcase its religious and historical landmarks, which bear significant witness to Christian history. The initiative is also expected to support religious tourism, attract pilgrims and visitors from Spain and Europe, and strengthen Jordan’s position as a leading Christian pilgrimage destination.

Pardo stressed the importance of strengthening direct people-to-people ties between Jordanians and Spaniards, saying such exchanges play a key role in deepening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation. Education and culture, he added, are priority areas in the partnership between the two countries.

For decades, the Instituto Cervantes in Amman, alongside several Jordanian universities, has contributed to teaching and promoting the Spanish language, fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding. Spanish is among the most widely used languages internationally, he noted.

The Spanish Embassy also organises an annual cultural programme featuring music, cinema and the arts in cooperation with local partners.

Pardo said hundreds of Jordanian students have studied medicine and engineering in Spain since the 1960s, contributing to the formation of Jordanian-Spanish families that have become an important human and cultural bridge between the two countries.

He added that this tradition continues, with hundreds of Jordanian students travelling each year to public and private universities in Spain to pursue further studies and advance their academic careers through programmes taught in both Spanish and English.

//Petra//WH