Planning minister, Spanish foreign minister discuss cooperation

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Touqan met on Sunday with Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares, Executive Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) Anton Leys, and several Spanish officials.

Touqan expressed gratitude to Spain for its support to Jordan in vital sectors, particularly health, water and sanitation, as well as assistance for refugees and host communities, stressing the strength of bilateral relations and Spain's significant role within the European Union, according to a ministry statement. 

Touqan stressed the importance of enhancing development and economic cooperation to serve the interests of both countries and to open new avenues for joint initiatives. 

The minister also briefed the Spanish delegation on Jordan's key development priorities, as outlined in the Economic Modernisation Vision and Public Sector Modernisation Roadmap, highlighting the need for cooperative efforts to direct Spanish development assistance towards Jordan's main priorities.

Both ministers underscored the necessity of strengthening ties between Spain and Jordan, noting that the 1993 Framework Agreement serves as the legal foundation for Spanish cooperation in Jordan, expressing satisfaction with the results of the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2020-2024, which was signed in October 2020 during the 5th Spain-Jordan Joint Committee.

The ministers also discussed a new partnership framework with Qatar for 2025-2029, which will build on the existing framework to support various projects and priorities. The new partnership framework is set to be adopted at the upcoming Joint Committee for Technical Cooperation meeting in Madrid next year, aiming to achieve economic modernisation and sustainable development goals, according to the statement. 

The Spanish minister announced that Spain will provide 80 million euros in aid to Jordan from 2025 to 2029, including 30 million euros in grants and 50 million euros in soft loans to address the Syrian refugee crisis. 

The two ministers agreed to initiate discussions on a framework agreement for the new partnership, focusing on governance, democracy, health, and women's empowerment.