Ammon News - The Mexican Ambassador to Jordan, Roberto Hernandez, said Jordan has a "distinguished touristic position in the Middle East.
In a press statement issued Sunday, he said National Mexico's Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and diverse Jordanian universities agreed to advance scientific and technological programs as well as exchange of students and professors.
Last Thursday, IPN director general, Arturo Reyes Sandoval, and the envoy held a meeting in Mexico City where they agreed to promote cultural and sports activities, joint projects on tourism development as well as teaching of Spanish and Arabic languages in Jordan and Mexico respectively, said the statement.
Sandoval expressed that Jordan wants Mexico to become the gateway between Latin America and the Arab country, and therefore IPN could be the key in this regard. He also stressed that IPN alumni have crossed national borders and spurred scientific and technological innovation. In addition, IPN and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have supported each other to carry out diverse activities to address the COVID-19 pandemic, added the statement.
IPN is willing to strengthen its internationalization program and given its capacities, it can develop ties with Jordan with concrete results while also offering support to those willing to get in contact with Mexico, Sandoval pointed out.
The envoy said interaction between IPN and Jordanian universities sends the message to Middle East that Mexico has stepped up in the human, social and scientific fields.
According to the diplomat, there are many similarities between Mexican and Jordanian societies, but the language barrier is still an obstacle that must be overcome through the exchange of experiences, professors and students. In addition, with regards to tourism, Mexico can consolidate its position as a tourism power while it can also help Jordan to boost its touristic appeal within the Middle East.
The director for Innovation and Social Integration at IPN, Ricardo Monterrubio Lopez, added that the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) has become a world-renowned institution of scientific excellency. This research centre was created with the support of UNESCO and eight Middle East countries and serves as a proof of joint work towards a common goal.
The director for International Relations at IPN, Raul Maldonado Arellano, stated that the projects between IPN and Jordanian universities, supported by the Embassy of Mexico in Jordan, will promote stays for medicine and nursing students, internships for young leadership programs, teaching of Spanish and Arabic, as well as a wide array of cultural and sports activities, conferences and seminars on tourism and gender studies.
Besides that, Maldonado said there is a plan to develop a robot that will contain an interactive platform to facilitate cooperation between these institutions and promote tourism, economic and trade exchanges between Mexico and Jordan.