Amman: President of the Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA), Hamdi Tabba'a, held discussions with the Bahraini Ambassador to Jordan, Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, regarding preparations for the 18th Business Community Forum set to take place in Manama this year. The forum aims to strengthen joint economic relations between Jordan and Bahrain.
According to Jordan News Agency, the discussions focused on cooperation prospects and strategies to enhance ongoing coordination between the business communities and private sectors of both nations. Tabba'a and the ambassador emphasized the importance of developing an executive program to implement existing agreements, foster economic relations, and increase the influx of Bahraini tourists to Jordan, particularly in the realm of medical tourism.
Tabba'a highlighted the historical nature of Jordanian-Bahraini relations, which are founded on shared economic visions. He underscored the need to increase trade exchange and encourage Bahraini investments in Jordan. To achieve these objectives, he pointed out that Jordan presents investment opportunities in various economic sectors, notably the financial industry, which is evolving globally with the advent of a digital currency that facilitates foreign investment in the stock market.
Currently, Bahrain ranks fifth among Arab countries and globally in terms of investment in the Jordanian stock market, with investments totaling JD854 million in 2024. The Bahraini ambassador underscored the importance of strengthening Bahraini investments in Jordan, particularly in the pharmaceutical, health, and energy sectors, and lauded the introduction of digital currency in Jordan.
Additionally, the ambassador called for an increase in the volume of mutual trade exchange, which stood at approximately $133 million in 2023, down from $198 million in 2022.