Planning minister, Italian undersecretary  meet over development cooperation

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan on Monday received Italian Undersecretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Maria Tripodi, who is visiting the Kingdom's to follow up on development cooperation and strengthen relations between the two countries.

Toukan expressed Jordan's appreciation to the Italian government for its continued development support through the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Italy on the development cooperation programme for 2021-2023, which includes support for vital sectors, including education, water and tourism, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Toukan expressed the Jordanian government's aspiration to renew the MoU for the next three years with the aim of actively assisting in supporting national priorities within the framework of the Economic Modernisation Vision and its executive programme, and the Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap. 

The minister briefed Tripodi on development priorities and economic challenges arising from the Syrian refugee crisis and the pressures on various public services such as education and health, expressing her appreciation to Italy for its assistance to Jordan in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis.

For her part, Tripodi commended the "deep-rooted" relations and cooperation between the two countries, stressing her government’s willingness to reconsider renewing the MoU on development cooperation between the two countries.

She also expressed interest in increasing cooperation and maintaining coordination between Jordan and Italy in the fields of tourism, education, water and areas of development, while affirming her country's full support to strengthen strategic relations with the Kingdom.

Also on Monday, Tourism Minister Makram Al Queisi and Tripodi discussed means to strengthen cooperation in the tourism sector, with a focus on the Jerash renovation centre, intended to serve as a regional centre for training and renovation.

The two sides discussed projects under the Jordanian-Italian memorandum of understanding signed in 2017, which included the Italian government's commitment to supporting initiatives that fall within the strategic priorities of the ministry, including sustainable development through optimal use of resources, investment in human resources development, supporting sustainability, and boosting economic and social growth, Petra added.