At the Dinner Hosted by His Excellency the Minister-President of the Free State of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber

Your Excellency,
Mrs. Stoiber,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for Rania and myself to be with you this evening on this visit to the Free State of Bavaria. I have related many stories to my wife about my service in the military in this beautiful part of Germany, and I am glad that she can now see with her own eyes what I have always been trying to describe. On behalf of the entire Jordanian delegation, allow me to express our sincere appreciation for all the warm hospitality that we have enjoyed since our arrival earlier today. I would also like to convey the sincere feelings of admiration and friendship that the Jordanian people hold for your great country and for your state.

Excellency,

The relations between our two countries are very special indeed. We enjoy a long tradition of friendship, mutual respect and admiration. Our two governments have a very special and effective working relationship at the different political and economic levels. Our non-governmental organisations have also developed common frameworks of co-operation in the educational, cultural and social spheres. But perhaps most telling is the relationship that is evolving between people and companies in the private sectors in both Jordan and Germany. They are laying a solid foundation of a true, sustainable and productive partnership that is based on a common denominator: that of the continuous search for excellence. This commonality is also evident in the respect that we both hold for democratic pluralistic principles, and in the sanctity with which we regard human and civil rights. It has truly been reinforced with the active role that Germany plays in forging a peace agreement for the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Excellency,

As we enter a new century fully equipped with the right ideas on economic progress, social development, and cultural wealth, Germany provides a successful model for all of us in the developing world. The political stability, social responsibility, and economic development that the German model offers, is a textbook definition of the balance that needs to be established between the public and private sectors, between social justice and free enterprise, and between equality and opportunity.

We have come to visit you in Bavaria in order to learn and to emulate the model of success that you have enshrined. The major achievements in the technological fields witnessed in this state attests to the leadership role that you have played and to the pioneering entrepreneurial spirit that has searched for excellence and attained it. I am confident that this visit will open the doors even wider for increased co-operation as well as deeper and more frequent exchanges between our two peoples.

Excellency,

On behalf of the Jordanian people, I would like to take this memorable opportunity to extend to you an invitation to revisit our country, where Rania and I hope to return some of the hospitality that we are enjoying in your realm. We hope that we can welcome you in Jordan in the not too distant future and to be able to show you what Jordanians are doing to make Jordan a beacon of hope and a centre of excellence.

In closing, allow me to thank you for your kind generosity and your warm reception.