Jordan's Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez traveled Thursday to Croatia in a visit aimed at boosting economic ties. Al-Fayez's three-day trip to the Balkan country was a follow-up to a recent visit by King Abdullah II. "Jordan is a gateway to Iraq ... so I think that Croatian businessmen can benefit from our historic relations with Iraq," al-Fayez told reporters following a meeting with his Croat counterpart, Ivo Sanader, in the capital, Zagreb. Trade between the two nations is estimated at US$1.2 billion (¤993 million). Al-Fayez said that Jordan was particularly interested in boosting cooperation in the fields of tourism, water and energy. He was accompanied by a business delegation. Although Croatia is not part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, the government hopes that its companies, which have been active in the region for decades, will find international partners in reconstruction efforts. Sanader was expected to pay a return visit to Jordan in October.
