Princess Basma, US delegates discuss effects of regional crises on Jordan

AMMAN — HRH Princess Basma on Thursday met with a delegation of US Senate and House of Representative aides visiting the Kingdom to look into the social, economic and political situation of the country.

Discussions during the meeting, which was held at the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, focused on the crises in the region and their impact on Jordan, particularly the influx of Syrian refugees, as well as women’s challenges taking the regional context into consideration and Jordan’s development needs. 

“In every Jordanian community and village there are Syrian refugees that have fled violence… the mounting pressures are overwhelming the government’s very limited resources,” Princess Basma said, commenting on the situation of Syrian refugees in camps.  

“We cannot separate the day-to-day challenges that are being faced by both Jordanian and Syrian families, which include overcrowded schools and economic hardships,” she added.

Princess Basma also reviewed Jordan’s development process on several fronts with the US delegation.

The meeting, attended by Jordanian experts from the public and private sectors, included discussions about the Kingdom’s role in augmenting peace in the region and concerns about mainstream media coverage that focus on sectarian divides and ultimately fuel violent ideologies and aid in the fragmentation of the Arab region.

Talks also covered ways and means to capitalise on the changing dynamics in Jordan, the need to keep young people energised and engaged in finding solutions to improve the national economy and women’s priorities.

For their part, the senior congressional staff members stressed their country′s support to Jordan to minimise the impact of the conflict in the region and lauded the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts.