King urges more aid for Jordan in refugee response

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday asserted Jordan’s commitment to strengthening its cooperation with EU countries, within the framework of Jordan’s “advanced status” partnership.

At a meeting with EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King thanked the EU for supporting the Kingdom’s development and reform programmes, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty underscored the key role of the EU in supporting efforts to arrive at solutions for regional challenges, with the crisis in Syria, the war on terrorism and efforts to revive Middle East peace negotiations first and foremost.

He highlighted the burdens borne by the Kingdom as a result of hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees and the increasing pressures placed on the country’s resources, as a result.

In this regard, the King stressed the importance of the donor conference that will be held in London next week in assisting the government in dealing with the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, and in supporting development projects that may enable the country to deal with mounting pressures. 

His Majesty noted that Jordan has provided Syrian refugees with services beyond its own capabilities, stressing that it is high time that the international community, the EU, regional and international organisations and different countries provide the needed support for the Kingdom.

Hahn lauded EU — Jordanian relations, pointing out that opportunities and circumstances are currently available for supporting the country, whose stability is part of regional stability, through the London donor conference.  

He noted that the conference will foster the economic ties between the EU and Jordan, which he said should be supported in confronting the various challenges, as it represents a model country in the region.

At a separate meeting with Shinichi Kitaoka, president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Thursday, the King underscored the importance of expanding cooperation between Jordanian institutions and JICA, building on strategic Jordanian-Japanese relations. 

His Majesty expressed his appreciation of Japan’s continued support through JICA — one of the foremost international donors to the Kingdom — in empowering it to carry out development projects and training programmes for young people and for women.

King Abdullah also called for increasing support for Jordan in dealing with the issue of Syrian refugees.

JICA’s president stressed the agency’s commitment to expanding its programmes in support of Jordan to achieve its development goals, expressing his appreciation of the Kingdom’s efforts in dealing with the issue of Syrian refugees and supporting counterterrorism efforts.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, and Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury also met separately with the EU commissioner and discussed issues related to the Syrian refugee crisis, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The conference seeks to provide solutions to the problem of Syrian refugees and to assist host countries.