AMMAN
— The Republic of
Cyprus’ ambassador to Jordan recently sat down with
Jordan
News to discuss the two countries’ relationship, areas of cooperation, and how
Jordanian hospitality helped him and his family adjust to being in the country.
اضافة اعلان
Frequent
communication and exchange of visits between the leaders of the two countries,
as well as their foreign ministers, represents the good relations Jordan and
Cyprus share, Michalis Ioannou, the ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, recently
told
Jordan News.
The political relationship that connects Cyprus with Jordan is
“genuine”, and will eventually lead to the enhancement of cooperation in all
areas and help address the common challenges both countries face, Ioannou told
the
Jordan News In a recent interview.
“In this context, President Nicos Anastasiades extended an
invitation to His Majesty King Abdullah to visit
Cyprus and we hope that the visit
will take place during 2021,” he added.
The ambassador also pointed to the importance of both countries’
leadership, saying the two leaders’ relationship has positive effects in the
fields of real estate, investments, and higher education, but mainly on tourism,
which is considered one of the two
countries’ main areas of cooperation.
“This interaction between the people of our two countries is
extremely important and encourages the political leadership of Cyprus and
Jordan to pursue deeper cooperation and achieve tangible results,” he said.
On the other hand, the “excellent” level of relations between
Cyprus and Jordan is also reflected in trilateral cooperation, which together
with Greece addresses the common challenges and problems that the three
countries face, he added.
On tourism
The Kingdom’s good
epidemiological situation also allowed it to be included in Cyprus’ green
category and allows people to travel to the island without having to take a PCR test, or abide by restrictions on
movement, said the ambassador.
“Cyprus is a favorite touristic destination for Jordanians, where
many have bought houses.
In the last
couple of months, along with the Ministry of Tourism of Jordan we examined
tools and practices to enhance the cooperation between Cyprus and Jordan, and
in this context, the Cypriot Deputy Minister
of Tourism Savvas Perdios will
visit the Kingdom this summer,” Ioannou said.
The high
volume of tourism helps bring the people of both nations closer, which can be a
useful tool in guiding political leadership to seek cooperation in other fields
of common interest, he added.
Ioannou explained that over the last couple of years, the number of Jordanians visiting Cyprus has doubled.
“In
2019, Cyprus welcomed 18,000 visitors from Jordan, in comparison to 8,500
visitors in 2017. Unfortunately, in 2020 the pandemic put a temporary pause on
this trend,” he said.
“As for the main places of interest for the Cypriots who
visit Jordan, I would name the Baptism site and Petra. Wadi Rum is also getting
all the more popular for Cypriots.”
“I
am sure that if you visit the picturesque harbor of Paphos these days, you will
see many Jordanians that you know strolling around, as if you are in Aqaba.
I
would say that enjoying the beaches of the island are at the top of the
Jordanians’ list for their holidays in Cyprus.”
On education
The
ambassador said that the number of people interested in studying at Cypriot
universities has increased over the years due to the quality, the environment,
the cultural intimacy and the geographical proximity of the two countries, the
ambassador said.
“Many Jordanians (have) discovered the distinguished higher
education Cyprus offers, mainly the schools of medicine. … followed by the business administration schools,” Ioannou said.
A personal note
“I arrived in Jordan with my family a year ago, on August 25, 2020
to be exact. We realized very soon the commonalities between Cypriots and
Jordanians, and most importantly, the love that Jordanians have for Cyprus,”
the ambassador said.
“Either
they had a holiday home on the island, or their children were studying at the
Cypriot universities, or they just use to visit Cyprus frequently for tourism,
simply because they liked it,” Ioannou said.
“The warmth with which the Jordanian society embraced us, their love and
hospitality made us easily adapt to your country and to feel like home.”
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