AMMAN, Jordan — In a rare personal gesture underscoring close diplomatic ties, Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Tuesday personally drove Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to The Jordan Museum during the prime minister’s official visit to the country.
Prime Minister Modi shared photographs of the moment on social media, writing, “On the way to The Jordan Museum with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II.”
The Jordan Museum, located in Amman, is the country’s flagship national museum and showcases Jordan’s cultural, historical, and archaeological heritage. According to the museum, it traces more than 1.5 million years of human history through curated exhibitions, research-based galleries, and conservation and educational programs.
Earlier, Modi described his visit to Jordan as marking a “meaningful expansion” of bilateral relations between the two nations.
On Monday, Modi met King Abdullah II at the Al Husseiniya Palace, where the two leaders discussed strengthening economic and strategic ties. Modi proposed raising bilateral trade between India and Jordan to $5 billion and called for cooperation between India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Jordan’s digital payment systems.
During the visit, the two countries finalized multiple memoranda of understanding covering culture, renewable energy, water management, digital public infrastructure, and a twinning arrangement between Petra and Ellora.
“These outcomes mark a meaningful expansion of the India-Jordan partnership,” Modi said in a post on X. “Our cooperation in new and renewable energy reflects a shared commitment to clean growth, energy security, and climate responsibility.”
He added that collaboration on water resource management would allow both countries to share best practices in conservation, efficiency, and technology, while the Petra–Ellora twinning agreement would create new opportunities in heritage preservation, tourism, and academic exchange.
Modi also highlighted the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme for 2025–2029, saying it would deepen people-to-people ties and support Jordan’s digital transformation through shared Indian digital innovations.
During their talks, Modi and King Abdullah II exchanged views on regional developments and broader global issues, reaffirming the importance of restoring peace and stability in the Middle East. Modi reiterated India’s support for efforts aimed at achieving durable peace in the region.
Modi arrived in Amman on Monday afternoon for a two-day visit at the invitation of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein. Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan welcomed him at the airport, another sign of the visit’s significance. This marks Modi’s first full bilateral visit to Jordan, following a brief transit through the country in 2018 en route to the State of Palestine.
The Jordan visit is the first leg of Modi’s three-nation tour, which also includes stops in Ethiopia and Oman. (Source: IANS)
