The expected visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to Jordan this week will boost economic ties between the two countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, said on Tuesday, quoting the country's commercial section. Jordan Chamber of Commerce Deputy Chairman Issa Murad said the private sector in the Hashemite Kingdom is working to increase Saudi investments in the country, particularly in fields that represent strategic challenges such as water, energy, transport and infrastructure, the report said. He noted that during the first five months of this year, local exports to the Gulf state rose to JD157 million from JD132 million during the same period of last year, while imports from Saudi Arabia went up to JD747 million from JD585 million. Murad added that Saudi Arabia ranked first on a list of the top 10 countries investing in Jordan, stating that investments from the neighboring country reached around JD2 billion by the end of March. The Jordanian economy is dominated by services (around two thirds of its GDP). Manufacturing is the second important sector (about one fifth of GDP); agriculture contributes around 3 percent to GDP. The largest exporting industries in Jordan are the pharmaceutical industry with 75 percent of production being exported.
