AMMAN: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden arrived in Amman on Tuesday for a state visit to Jordan.
The king and queen were received at Queen Alia International Airport by Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, Princess Rym Al-Ali, Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Amman Mayor Yousef Shawarbeh, and a number of other officials.
They later attended a lunch banquet hosted in their honor by Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi.
Coinciding with the state visit, the Jordanian Businessmen Association announced on Tuesday the formation of a Jordanian-Swedish business council.
The JBA also launched the Jordanian-Swedish Business Forum in cooperation with the Swedish Embassy to boost prospects for joint investment and economic cooperation between the business communities.
The forum, which brought together business leaders and representatives from the communication and information technology, healthcare, water, energy and chemicals sectors, focused on investment opportunities in areas of mutual interest.
JBA President Hamdi Tabbaa emphasized the importance of the state visit, which he said reflects the historical relations between Jordan and Sweden.
Over the last eight months, the trade exchange between Jordan and Sweden stood at JD39.9 million ($56.3 million).