Jordan's King arrives to cement economic ties

New Delhi, Nov 30 (UNI) Jordan's King Abdullah II Bin El Hussein arrived here today on a three-day State visit to India for discussions on the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) and expanding trade and economic ties between the two countries.

He was received at the airport by Minister of State for Defence P. Raju.

The 44-year-old Jordanian Monarch, who is on his first State visit to India, is accompanied by Queen Rania El Abdullah and a large business delegation.

During the visit, the two countries will sign five agreements for cooperation in investment protection, agriculture, tourism, information technology and cultural exchange.

The Jordanian Monarch will be given a Ceremonial Reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow which will be followed by discussions with the Prime Minister.

The King will have talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow on various aspects of bilateral relations, including regional and international matters.

After the talks, which are likely to focus on economic cooperation and the MEPP, the two countries will sign the agreements.

He is scheduled to have a dinner with Indian business representatives organised by the CII,FICCI and ASSOCHAM.

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani will call on the King separately.

He will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the evening.

He will leave for Amman on Saturday afternoon.

Trade between the two countries was worth 494 million dollars, with India's exports to Jordan growing by 45 per cent during January-February.

India's exports include frozen meat, pharmaceuticals, textiles, handicrafts, tobacco and basmati rice.

India is also associated with various projects in Jordan like oil exploration and road infrastructure.

Indo-Jordanian relations go back to 1947. The two countries signed their first bilateral agreement for co-operation and friendly relations in 1947, which was formalised in 1950 with the establishment of full-fledged diplomatic ties.

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