jordan pulse -

Italy's Special Envoy for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) Francesco Maria Talo affirmed that Rome views Jordan as an indispensable strategic partner in the Middle East, pointing to a surge in commercial partnerships between Italian and Jordanian enterprises across infrastructure, energy, and tech sectors.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Talo stated that the robust political alignment between the leadership of both nations, coupled with active coordination within the European Union framework, provides a high-level launchpad for expanding bilateral economic ties.

The ambassador noted that structural shifts in global supply chains present a rare opportunity for Jordan to pivot from a traditional transit country into a dynamic manufacturing and investment hub.

The Geopolitical Logistics Pivot Talo emphasized that Jordan's geography places it at a critical commercial intersection linking the Gulf, the Levant, Turkey, and the Mediterranean, while remaining highly accessible to East Africa. This positioning gives the Kingdom a distinct competitive edge to operate as the primary logistics hub for the region.

The Port of Aqaba remains central to this vision. Talo explained that the port can evolve into an integrated regional logistics powerhouse if seamlessly linked to modern overland transit corridors extending north toward Syria and Turkey, east toward Iraq, and south into Saudi Arabia.

Accelerating Jordan's domestic railway development is a crucial variable in this equation, the envoy added, noting that rail networks are vital to lowering shipping overheads, boosting transport efficiency, and finalizing a highly functional multimodal freight system.

Bridging Continental Data Flow Shifting to the digital economy, the ambassador observed that global commerce is increasingly powered by data transit, describing information flows as the "energy of the 21st century." He highlighted the "Blue Raman" submarine fiber-optic cable project-spearheaded by an Italian telecom firm alongside global partners like Google-which routes through Aqaba, positioning Jordan as a premier data gateway between Asia and Europe.

A secondary, complementary project named "Green Med" will establish an alternative data route connecting Jordan directly to Italy via the Mediterranean. Talo emphasized that the strategic objective for Amman is not merely to host transit cables, but to leverage this digital pipeline to attract foreign investment in localized data centers, scale the domestic tech ecosystem, and generate high-value digital employment.

Production Partnerships and Clean Energy Talo revealed that Italy, alongside several European neighbors, is navigating sharp demographic declines and labor deficits. This reality is prompting Italian industries to look abroad for manufacturing partnerships with nations that feature a young, highly skilled workforce, making Jordan an ideal candidate for industrial joint ventures.

Furthermore, these emerging trade corridors are built to support future energy transmission, particularly green hydrogen. The ambassador noted that Jordan is geographically primed to serve as the structural link connecting major energy producers in the Gulf with high-demand consumer markets across Europe, drastically elevating its regional economic leverage.

The expected macroeconomic yield for the Kingdom includes reduced transport costs, heightened trade volumes, greater foreign direct investment, and targeted job creation across the digital, industrial, and logistical sectors. Talo concluded by stressing that the immediate priority must focus on converting these structural advantages into actionable, brick-and-mortar development projects.

//Petra// AA