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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Amman on Sunday as part of his three-nation tour covering Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman. He was received at the airport by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan. The visit comes as India and Jordan mark 75 years of diplomatic relations, a milestone expected to add momentum to bilateral engagement.
PM Modi will be in Jordan from December 15 to 16 at the invitation of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. During the visit, he will hold discussions to review the “full range of India-Jordan relations” and exchange views on regional developments. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to interact with members of the Indian diaspora in the country.
India and Jordan share long-standing relations rooted in mutual respect and goodwill. The first cooperation agreement between the two countries was signed in 1947, followed by the establishment of full diplomatic ties in 1950. In recent years, high-level visits have reinforced the partnership, including King Abdullah II’s visit to India in 2018, former President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Jordan in 2015, PM Modi’s transit visit to Amman in 2018, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s visit in 2020. Regular leadership-level engagements continue to guide bilateral cooperation.
Economic ties have expanded steadily, with India now Jordan’s fourth-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade in 2023–24 stood at USD 2.875 billion, including Indian exports worth USD 1.465 billion. Indian investments of around USD 1.5 billion, especially in phosphates, fertilisers, textiles and garments, form a key pillar of the relationship. Major joint ventures include the IFFCO–Jordan Phosphate Mines Company project and the Indo-Jordan Chemical Company.
Cooperation extends beyond trade to health, education, skill development, science and technology, and capacity building. The India-Jordan Centre of Excellence in Information Technology, inaugurated in 2021, focuses on training Jordanian professionals in advanced IT fields. Educational exchanges are supported through ITEC and ICCR scholarships, with ITEC slots recently increased from 37 to 50 annually. People-to-people ties are further strengthened by an Indian diaspora of about 17,500, along with cultural festivals, tourism cooperation, film collaborations and yoga events.
In the second leg of the tour, PM Modi will travel to Ethiopia from December 16 to 17, marking his first visit to the country. He is scheduled to hold detailed talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on all aspects of bilateral relations. Addis Ababa, the capital, also hosts the headquarters of the African Union.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visit will reaffirm the shared commitment of India and Ethiopia, as partners in the Global South, to strengthening friendship and expanding cooperation across sectors.
The final leg of the tour will take PM Modi to Oman from December 17 to 18 at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, marking his second visit to the country. The MEA said India and Oman share an all-encompassing Strategic Partnership rooted in centuries-old ties of friendship, trade and strong people-to-people connections.
The visit coincides with 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations and follows the Sultan of Oman’s state visit to India in December 2023. Both sides are expected to comprehensively review cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
