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Poland in Jordan

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Jordan

Diplomatic relations between Poland and Jordan were established on 20 February 1964

Political cooperation

History of bilateral relations

The first surveys on the establishment of relations were conducted as early as 1956 through the Polish outpost in Damascus. In February 1957, however, after the fall of Suleiman al-Nabulsi's government, the Jordanian side withdrew from negotiations.

The revival of bilateral relations was brought about by June 1962, when the Polish side made an "official proposal to appoint a permanent delegate of the Minister of Foreign Trade in Amman following the example of our similar offices in Pakistan, Siam and Libya". The Polish proposal was confirmed by an appropriate note dated July 12, 1962. - The Jordanians transmitted "the consent of the Jordanian government to establish a trade post in Amman" and two days later informally informed that "it is to be expected in the near future that their proposals for establishing diplomatic relations will be made". Franciszek Onichowski was appointed the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Amman and in the spring of 1963 he went to Amman "to rent a building and install a commercial establishment there".

Initially, the Polish side was sceptical about the proposal to establish diplomatic relations, but the situation changed after the establishment of formal relations between Jordan and the USSR. At the end of January 1964, the Polish Ambassador to Beirut, Witold Skuratowicz, was instructed to "finalize the case", with information that he would be appointed Ambassador to Amman (on the basis of an extension of accreditation). Finally, relations were formally established on 20 February 1964.

On 19 October 1964, Witold Skuratowicz was officially appointed by the Council of State as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of Poland in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The letters of authentication were submitted on 11 January 1965. Due to the fact that the newly appointed ambassador resided permanently in Beirut, the position of chargé d'affaires ad interim in Amman was taken over by Franciszek Onichowski, the former representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Current bilateral relations

In the 1990s, bilateral relations lost their importance, a process which was slowed down by the relocation of the Polish post in Amman. Over the last 15 years Jordan has become one of the key partners of Poland in the region in terms of political, economic and scientific cooperation. Particular intensification of relations has taken place since 2016, when Amman was visited by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski (July 2016). The next step in strengthening relations was the first ever visit of the President of the Republic of Poland to Jordan (November 2016), which made it possible to create a personal relationship between King Abdullah II and President Andrzej Duda. In May 2019, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jacek Czaputowicz visited Amman, marking a positive development of bilateral relations.

Economic cooperation

Jordan is one of the main importers of Polish goods in the Middle East. Polish exports to Jordan in 2016 reached the level of EUR 96 million, while imports amounted to EUR 1.3 million. Bilateral relations are characterised by a high trade deficit on the Jordanian side, which is to be counteracted by the rules of origin for goods exported from Jordan, loosened by the EU in July 2016. In 2017, trade with Jordan decreased to EUR 70 million due to the worsening economic situation in the country. In 2018, Polish exports to Jordan amounted to EUR - 90.6 million, and imports in the corresponding period reached EUR 7.4 million.   Exports from Poland:  Ready-to-eat food products; non-alcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages and vinegar; tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes - EUR 14.1 million -Vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport equipment - EUR 20,6 million Import from Jordan: Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coins - EUR 3,3 million -In the period from January to March 2019, Polish exports to Jordan reached the value of EUR 23.9 million and increased by 3.9% as compared to the corresponding period of 2018, imports from Jordan in the first quarter of 2019 amounted to EUR 2.17 million. 

Cultural cooperation

Due to the lack of an Embassy of Jordan in Poland, cultural cooperation is limited to activities undertaken by the Polish branch in Amman. It cyclically takes part in the European Film Festival in Amman, organised by the EU representative office. It also organises events related to the promotion of Poland - concerts and scientific conferences devoted to bilateral relations.

Cooperation in the field of science

Due to the lack of an Embassy of Jordan in Poland, cultural cooperation is limited to activities undertaken by the Polish institution in Amman. Due to the constant presence of archaeological teams from the Jagiellonian University and the University of Warsaw, this field of science is most strongly rooted in bilateral relations. The Polish Embassy in Amman constantly supports Polish archaeologists by visiting them at archaeological sites and by co-organising scientific conferences with the representatives of the Polish Universities.

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