His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will start Sunday a tour of three Arab countries — Jordan, Tunisia and Algeria.
The visit reflects Qatar keenness to further strengthen its relations with brotherly and friendly countries all over the world.
The Amir's tour comes as Qatar's relations with these countries have reached high level of co-ordination and co-operation on several fronts - political, economic, commercial, cultural and social - thanks to the support provided by the Amir and the leaders of these Arab countries.
The Amir's tour, which will see talks, agreements and memorandums of understanding, is expected to contribute to supporting and promoting the relations and open new horizons of co-operation to serve the joint interests as well as the Arab issues and aspirations in general, especially as it comes at a time when the region is witnessing increasing challenges and dangers, starting with the Palestinian cause and the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, and the situation in Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and other Arab countries.
The tour indicates that Qatar, despite its preoccupation with the local affairs and fortifying its internal front in facing all the requirements and challenges, has not, and will not, hesitate to carry out its national role on the issues of the Arab nation, and that it will remain at the forefront to defend the interests of the nation and its just and legitimate rights, and the aspiration of its people in freedom, peace, stability and prosperity.
The Amir will discuss with King Abdullah bilateral relations and means of developing and bolstering them in various fields, to serve the interests of both countries and people, as well as key regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The Amir's visit to Jordan is the culmination of close and deep relations between the two countries which have developed since the start of the diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1972.
The mutual visits between senior officials in both countries have contributed to its continuous enhancement in various fields for the good of the two peoples and the countries, the most significant of which are the visits paid by the His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Jordan in March 2014 and in March 2017 to take part in the Arab Summit held there, as well as those by King Abdullah of Jordan to Qatar, the last of which was in June 2013.
Indicating the distinct and deep-rooted relations between Qatar and Jordan, the Amir lunched an initiative in June 2018 providing 10,000 job opportunities in Qatar to Jordanian youth, and investing US $500mn in infrastructure and tourism projects in Jordan, thus contributing to reviving the Jordanian economy and its development in a sustainable manner.
The two countries share common views and positions towards various Arab issues, and there are continuous co-ordination and consultation at the highest levels regarding various issues of common concern in the region, especially the Palestinian Cause, the Middle East peace process and the situation in Syria.
Several agreements and memorandums of understanding were inked to fine-tune the relations between the two countries in the areas of military; security; customs; investment; protecting mutual investments, Jordanian workers in Qatar, media, health, culture, youth, sports, air and maritime transport, double taxation, municipal affairs and tourism.
With regard to the official activities, the private sectors in the two countries are working to enhance co-operation in various business sectors, leading to building real economic partnerships that reflect the strength of existing relations and meet the aspirations of the two peoples.
Qatari investors ranked third in the list of non-Jordanian shareholders, with an investments volume of nearly $2bn.
The Qatari investments in Amman Financial Market ranked among the top five, estimated at over $1bn, in the real estate, finance and tourism sectors.
The Qatari investments in Jordan have expanded in recent years in several fields such as the Amman East Power Plant and Shams Ma'an Power Generation solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant.
On the other hand, more than 1,725 Qatari-Jordanian joint companies operate in the Qatari market.
In October, Qatar Chamber (QC) hosted a delegation of Jordanian businessmen headed by the Chairman of Jordan Chamber of Commerce Nael al-Kabariti, where the two parties discussed ways to enhance economic co-operation relations, stimulate mutual investments and contribute to increased exchange trade between the two countries, which is achieving remarkable continuous growth.
Jordanian imports from Qatar include oils, liquefied natural gas, fertilizers, cement products, pipes, polyethylene and polymers, while Qatar's imports from Jordan include plant products; livestock; chemicals; medicines; vegetables; marble; phosphates and potash.