Silk Road Conference launches fourth edition in Amman

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri on Saturday inaugurated the fourth Silk Road Conference in Amman.

The conference, organised by the Palestinian-Jordanian Business Forum in cooperation with the Jordan Entrepreneurship and Innovation Association and the EU, witnessed the participation of 500 businesspeople from inside and outside the Kingdom, mainly from Palestine.

On the sidelines of the event, the "Dolany" initiative was started to link entrepreneuriers with business owners and the "business tree" database was launched through the partnership of the Jordan, Palestine and Turkey business associations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hammouri, during the opening ceremony, called for joint work and solidarity to prevent more regional crises and to change economic and political challenges into investment opportunities through innovation and the youth’s entrepreneurial spirit.

He also highlighted the Kingdom's efforts towards supporting innovation, pointing out that since 1960 Jordan has established institutions designated to support education, science and technology, as well as improve innovation capabilities. 

Chairman of the Jordanian-Palestinian Business Forum Nazmi Atmeh said that the conference focuses on the changes in the business environment and raising awareness to confront the rising tide of challenges and risks. 

Also speaking at the conference, EU Ambassador to Jordan Maria Hadjitheodosiou said that with all the challenges the Kingdom is facing, it has managed to maintain its position as a place of security and stability in a troubled region, according to Petra.  

She also went over the EU’s “continuous support” to Jordan’s young people, highlighting the  EU’s efforts to support private sector development through the EU-funded Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises  project.

Saleem Hammad, general manager of Amazon in Jordan and Saudi Arabia, said that the company is “one of the biggest success stories in the MENA” through the support of Jordanian expertise and cadres.

Amazon has brought 800 job opportunities for Jordanians, he added, pointing out that e-commerce “is the future for trade in the region”, Petra reported.