Spanish senators meet ministers over water, energy

AMMAN — Jordan has endured a great suffering on behalf of the international community due to the Syrian crisis and the influx of over 1.4 million Syrian refugees to the Kingdom, where the water per capita share fell to less than 88 million cubic metres per year, Minister of Water and Irrigation Ali Ghezawi said.

During a meeting with a delegation of Spanish senators, headed by Senate President Pío García-Escudero, Ghezawi noted that Jordan has drained most of its renewable and non-renewable sources of water in order to meet the needs of citizens and refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He pointed to the high costs of water and energy transfer, which exceed 50 per cent in the water sector, expressing hope for further Spanish support to reduce the cost of water production and transport and assist Jordan in the field of water desalination.

The delegation praised Jordan's efforts to cope with the increasing water burdens, voicing satisfaction over the quality of the Jordanian-Spanish cooperation, especially in the field of water.

The delegation stressed Spain's readiness to provide expertise to improve the control of water systems and support a number of projects in the Kingdom.

Also on Saturday, Energy Minister Saleh Kharabsheh met García-Escudero and called on Spanish companies to benefit from investment opportunities in the Kingdom's energy sector.

Kharabsheh stressed the importance of developing partnerships with the Spanish private sector to boost investments in the Jordanian energy sector as part of the national strategy that seeks to enhance domestic energy sources' contribution to the total energy mix and energy sources diversification.

The delegation expressed interest in the sector's latest developments and praised the Jordanian experience in the field of renewable energy.