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Ammon News - Irish Ambassador in Amman, Vincent O'Neill, on Tuesday stressed Jordan and Ireland enjoy strong ties in various domains, and said the Kingdom is "beacon" of peace and stability in the region.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency, Petra on the occasion of his country's national day, the ambassador noted that Jordan marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Jordanian state, while Ireland also celebrates this year its independence centennial.

He emphasized that both countries share common visions and similarities, including their endeavors to bring about peace and their young societies, in addition to the fact that the two countries depend on their human capital to realize economic development.

O'Neill noted constant Irish-Jordanian coordination and consultation on issues of common interests and on regional issues, especially in light of Ireland's membership in the UN Security Council this year and being a member of the European Union.

He underlined the role played by the Irish embassy, which opened in 2019, toward strengthening Irish-Jordanian cooperation and partnership, noting his country's support for Jordan efforts to shelter refugees and serve them.

On economic cooperation, O'Neill stressed that the Kingdom is a key trading partner of Ireland, indicating that two-way trade is on an upward trajectory and reached about 160 million euros in 2020. He highlighted a number of areas of cooperation, including ICT, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages and education.

The ambassador spoke about prospects for increased Irish exports to Ireland which could serve as a gateway for Jordanian exports to other EU markets. He pointed out that the recently-announced Jordan Ireland Business Association (JIBA) is expected to cement commercial cooperation between the two countries.

JIBA continues to grow and enhance business and trading links between Ireland, Jordan and other regional trade and business organizations. It seeks to build on the achievements of earlier initiatives to promote trade between Ireland and Jordan and complement the trade promotion activities of the Embassy of Ireland in Jordan and the engagement of Irish state agencies (Enterprise Ireland, An Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland) in Jordan.

Turning to Middle East issues, O'Neill pointed out that the Palestinian cause and peacemaking efforts are part of Ireland's foreign policy, stressing that his country backs the two-state solution and the establishment of an Independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.