India’s Engagements with Jordan

PIB Headquarters India’s Engagements with Jordan प्रव तथ: 16 DEC 2025 1:31PM by PIB Delhi Key Takeaways PM Narendra Modi visited Jordan on December 15-16, 2025, his first full-fledged visit to the country.

Five MoUs were signed in the areas of renewable energy, water resource management, cultural exchange, digital solution and twinning between Petra and Ellora This year is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

India is Jordan’s third largest trading partner. The two countries aim to enhance bilateral trade to US$ 5 billion over the next 5 years.

Jordan is a leading supplier of phosphates and potash fertilizers for India.

Around 17,500 Indian nationals currently live in Jordan, mostly working in textiles, construction, manufacturing, healthcare etc.

Introduction As part of a three nation visit to Jordan, Ethiopia and Oman from 15-18 December, 2025 PM Narendra Modi was in Amman on December 15-16, where he held extensive discussions with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan on the 15th of December 2025. This is his first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan.

He earlier visited the country in February 2018, while on his way to Palestine.

India-Jordan relations are anchored in decades of diplomatic goodwill, structured political dialogue, and steadily expanding economic cooperation. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1950, the relationship has evolved into a mature partnership supported by regular leadership-level interactions, institutional mechanisms, and sectoral cooperation. Trade and economic engagement form a key pillar of this relationship. India is Jordan’s third largest trading partner. While India exports cereals, frozen meat, petroleum products, animal fodder etc. to Jordan, fertilizers, especially phosphates and potash are imported. The commissioning of long-term joint ventures and the operation of Indian-owned manufacturing units in Jordan reflect deep commercial integration. High-level political engagement, including Foreign Office Consultations and top leadership level engagements provide momentum to bilateral ties.

India-Jordan bilateral relations over the years India and Jordan enjoy warm relations based on mutual respect. Diplomatic ties were formalized in 1950 after the first agreement for cooperation and friendly relations was signed in 1947. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

1.High-Level Political EngagementsThe foundations of this relationship were built through high-level exchanges. PM visited Jordan in February 2018, in transit, during his visit to State of Palestine. This was followed by King Abdullah-II’s state visit to India from 27 February to 1 March 2018. During this visit there were delegation-level talks, a CEO’s Roundtable, a joint address at the conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding & Moderation’, and the signing of 12 MoUs/Agreements. It also led to the announcements of establishing a C-DAC Centre of Excellence in Jordan for training IT professionals over five years and an in-kind assistance package of US$5 million for pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines.

After that, both the leaders met on several occasions including on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy in June 2024; in COP-28 in Dubai in Dec 2023 and on the sidelines of Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh in October 2019 and also on the sidelines of 74th UNGA in New York in September

2019.

Apart from that both leaders also had telephonic conversation after Pahalgam Terror Attacks on April 24, 2025. The King of Jordan condemned the attack and reiterated his support for India’s fight against terrorism. Both the leaders, also spoke over phone in October 2023 for discussing the developments in Gaza and shared their mutual concerns regarding terrorism, violence and loss of civilian lives.

In 2025, India–Jordan relations advanced through a series of structured diplomatic engagements. The 4th round of India–Jordan Foreign Office Consultations were held in Amman on 29 April 2025, co- chaired by the Indian Secretary (CPV & OIA) and the Secretary General of the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. This was followed by the 2nd round of the Joint Working Group Meeting on Cooperation in Health on 02 September 2025, conducted virtually. During this meeting, detailed discussions were held on acceptance and recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia, regulation of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical devices, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, and Non- Communicable Diseases. Further momentum was added when the Indian Secretary (South) visited Jordan from 13-15 October 2025 during which she met Amb. Daifallah Ali Al-Fayez, Secretary General, and held substantive discussions with Amb. Mohammad Abu Wendi, Director General (Asia & Oceania Affairs), on bilateral cooperation.

Additional exchanges included the visit of Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to India in December 2017; the visit of India’s National Security Adviser Shri Ajit Kumar Doval to Jordan in January 2020; and telephonic discussions between EAM and FM Safadi in January and October 2020 on bilateral issues and Covid-19 cooperation.

2. Trade and Economic Cooperation Over the years, economic relations between India and Jordan have strengthened significantly, with bilateral trade showing robust growth. India is the fourth largest trading partner of Jordan. In the financial year 2023–24, total India-Jordan trade reached US$ 2.875 billion, with India’s exports to Jordan amounting to US$ 1,465 billion. Institutional frameworks underpinning this trade include the Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC), set up under the 1976 Trade Agreement, and other dialogue mechanisms such as maritime and sector-specific working groups.Key Economic & Trade Initiatives / Highlights A joint venture, Jordan India Fertiliser Company (JIFCO), between Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) and Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC), was commissioned to produce and export phosphoric acid to India. This venture originally valued at US$ 860 million, is a major source of phosphoric acid for India. Jordan is also a leading supplier of fertilizers for India, particularly phospahtes and potash.

In the past, a phosphoric acid plant operated by the joint Indo-Jordan Chemical Company (between JPMC and Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation, (SPIC) was commissioned with an investment of US$ 169.5 million; majority of its production is exported to India.

In May 2022 Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC), JPMC signed memoranda of understanding and agreements with several Indian phosphate/phosphate-fertilizer companies, with a total value of US$ 1.5 billion. Arab Potash Company and Indian Potash Limited (IPL) signed a five- year MoU to supply the Indian market with amounts ranging between 275,000–325,000 tonnes annually.

Over 15 garment-manufacturing companies owned by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) operate in Jordan’s Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs), with a cumulative investment of about US$ 500 million.

These companies manufacture garments in Jordan and export the finished products outside Jordan under the Jordan-USA FTA framework.

In 2025, key India–Jordan economic initiatives included: a tourism-promotion event on 5 February 2025 (in collaboration with the Jordan Society of Tourism and Travel Agents) highlighting Madhya Pradesh as a destination, and announcing direct flights between Jordan and India; a trade- promotion seminar on 19 February 2025 with the Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) and other stakeholders to boost investment and trade. Apart from these, the diplomatic mission also welcomed Indian companies ‘participation at the 3rd International Food and Food Technology Expo in Amman (12-14 August 2025).

3. Defence Relations India and Jordan signed an MoU on Defence Cooperation in 2018. In 2024, a three-member Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force delegation attended the Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference

(SOFEX) in Aqaba. A Jordanian Royal Navy delegation also visited India. They toured the Southern Naval Command Kochi and the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. This visit took place from April 29 to May 4, 2024.

4. Science and TechThe Indian-Jordan Center of Excellence in Information Technology (IJCOEIT), a next-generation IT facility at Al-Hussein Technical University (HTU), was inaugurated on 02 October 2021. The Center is equipped with state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, including the Super Computer PARAM Shavak and advanced training facilities. Fully funded by the Government of India and set up pursuant to an MoU signed during the visit of HM King Abdullah-II to India in March 2018, its objective is to develop and strengthen software expertise in Jordan in premium fields. The Government of India conducts master trainer courses for Jordanian experts in emerging fields such as Cyber Security, Web Development, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, etc., who in turn train Jordanian youth at IJCOEIT. It is envisioned that 3000 Jordanian experts/professionals would be nurtured at the Center. On the sidelines of the 4th round of Foreign Office Consultation with Jordan held in Amman, Secretary (CPV & OIA) and JS(WANA) visited the India-Jordan Center of Excellence in IT (IJCoEIT) at the Al-Hussein Technical University (HTU).

5. Education and People-to-People Ties India and Jordan are strengthening ties in education and capacity building. India has one of the world’s largest higher education systems with globally reputed institutions like IITs, IIMs and Indian Institute of Science. India is a popular study destination for Jordanian students. There are 50 slots for Jordan under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme of Ministry of External Affairs. More than 2,500 Jordanians have graduated from Indian universities. In 2024-25, Jordan used 37 civilian ITEC slots, 4 special executive programmes, and 5 ICCR scholarships.

India and Jordan signed a Manpower Agreement and a visa-free travel for diplomatic and official passport holders during King Abdullah II’s visit to India in March 2018. Around 17,500 Indian nationals[1] currently live in Jordan, mostly working in textiles, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, nursing, universities, IT, financial companies and UN agencies. Jordan provides Visa on Arrival to Indian tourists since 2009 and e-Visas since 2023.

There is a direct flight from Amman to Mumbai. Both countries cooperated during the evacuation of Indian nationals from Israel under Operation Sindhu.

6. Cultural Exchanges India and Jordan enjoy warm cultural relations There is strong interest in Jordan for Indian culture, especially Bollywood films. Regular cultural exchanges involving dance and music, as also events on Yoga Day take place between the two countries on a regular basis. Most recently, in July 2024, an ICCR sponsored “Natraj Sanskritik Silpi Samaj” cultural troupe performed Assamese Folk Dance at the 38th Jerash festival of Culture and Arts, the signature cultural festival of Jordan.

Outcome of PM’s Visit On December 15, 2025, PM arrived in Amman, Jordan, where he was warmly received by Jordanian Prime Minister Dr. Jafar Hassan with a ceremonial welcome, highlighting the strong ties between the two nations. This marks the first leg of his three-country tour (Jordan, Ethiopia, Oman). This full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan is taking place after a span of 37 years, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During his visit to Jordan PM Modi met His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and other senior delegates. Both the leaders discussed ways to further deepen bilateral engagement in the fields of trade and investment; defense and security; renewable energy; fertilizer and agriculture; innovation, IT and digital technologies; critical minerals; infrastructure; health and pharma; education and capacity; tourism and heritage; and culture and people-to-people ties. Prime Minister proposed that the two countries should aim to enhance bilateral trade to US$ 5 billion over the next 5 years. He also called for collaborationbetween Jordan’s digital payment system and India’s United Payments Interface (UPI). Jordan is an important supplier of fertilizer to India, and companies on both sides are in discussions for further substantive investment in Jordan to meet growing demand for phosphatic fertilizer in India.

The two leaders conveyed strong appreciation and support for each other’s fight against terrorism and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They shared perspectives on the developments in the region and on other global issues and reiterated the importance of restoring peace and stability in the region.

MoU’s signed between India and Jordan

1. MoU on Technical Cooperation in the Field of New and Renewable Energy

2. MoU on Cooperation in the field of Water resources Management & Development

3.TwinningAgreement between Petra and Ellora

4. Renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 2025-2029

5. Letter of Intent on Cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation Conclusion The India-Jordan, ties demonstrate how sustained political engagement reinforces economic and other outcomes for strong bilateral relations. Regular consultations, leadership-level meetings, and shared perspectives on regional stability and counter-terrorism have added strategic depth to the partnership. The engagements and outcomes of the recent high-level visit will further consolidate these gains. As India deepens its West Asia engagement, Jordan’s role as a reliable economic and political partner remains significant, reflecting a balanced relationship built on trust, trade, and strategic alignment.

References Embassy of India, Jordan

https://indembassy-amman.gov.in/Bilateral_Relations.html

https://indembassy-amman.gov.in/Study_in_India.html

https://indembassy-amman.gov.in/Culture.html Press Information Bureau

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2204140&reg=3&lang=1

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2204376&reg=3&lang=1

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2204384&reg=3&lang=1 Ministry of External Affairs

https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/40443/Visit_of_Prime_Minister_to_Jordan_Ethiopia _and_Oman_December_15__18_2025 Click here for pdf file. *** PIB Research (रलीज़ आईडी: 2204507) आगंतुक पटल : 3170 इस वज्ञ को इन भाषाओ ंम पढ़: Urdu , ही , Bengali , Odia