King attends Sun Valley economic forum, meets with global business leaders

IDAHO— His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania, has participated in the annual Sun Valley economic forum in Idaho, the US, attended by key US and international political, business, and media leaders to discuss global political and economic affairs and challenges.

On the sidelines of the forum, King Abdullah held separate meetings with the heads and representatives of a number of major US and international companies to discuss investment opportunities in Jordan, with the aim of attracting investors to the Kingdom and generating job opportunities for Jordanians, accoridng to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty met with the chairpersons and CEOs of Uber; Magic Leap, which specialises in virtual and augmented reality technologies; IAC, a holding company that owns numerous media and Internet brands; Twitter; PayPal; Walmart; seed accelerator Y Combinator; and Nike.

Discussions at the meetings covered the advantages and incentives offered by Jordan’s economy to investors, especially in the ICT, services, and industry sectors, in addition to the opportunities provided by Jordan’s strategic location and its qualified human resources.

The meetings also touched on the free trade agreements Jordan has signed with several countries, which have made the Kingdom a gateway into regional and global markets, as well as a hub for projects to rebuild the region.

The CEOs stressed the importance of Jordan’s strategic location and its young, qualified human resources, expressing their companies’ interest in exploring investment opportunities in the Kingdom.

As part of the forum, Their Majesties participated in a speaking panel on conditions in the Middle East and their repercussions on Jordan, as well as efforts to reach political solutions to regional crises.

Moderated by William Burns, former US deputy secretary of state and former US ambassador to Jordan who is now president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the panel covered Jordan’s positions on various issues in the region, and the challenges facing the Kingdom’s economy due to regional crises and conditions.

The session also addressed the peace process and the need to step up efforts to relaunch Palestinian-Israeli negotiations to arrive at a just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution that leads to establishing an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, living side by side with Israel in peace and security.

Developments in the Syrian crisis were also discussed, and the importance of reaching a political solution that safeguards Syria’s unity, in addition to the major burdens shouldered by Jordan as it hosts over 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

The panel, attended by CEOs and representatives of a number of leading global companies, also covered the plans and programmes aimed at stimulating Jordan’s economy and developing the business and investment climate to provide more job opportunities for young Jordanians.