FM receives Jordanian engineers at airport after Kazakhstan ordeal

AMMAN — Deputising for HRH Crown Prince Hussein, the Regent, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday received several Jordanian engineers at the airport who had been assaulted at their workplace in Kazakhstan.

Safadi conveyed Crown Prince Hussein’s greetings to the engineers, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

The Regent had directed the prime minister and the foreign minister to take all measures required to ensure the Jordanian engineers’ security and safety.

Safadi also expressed the Kingdom’s pride and concern for its expatriates, noting that Jordanians abroad have always set examples of "dedication and devotion in their work and social behaviours across the world".

The Regent had closely followed up on the developments of Saturday’s assault on a group of Jordanian engineers who work at a contracting company in Kazakhstan.

Five Jordanian engineers working in a large Middle Eastern construction company in Kazakhstan sustained minor injuries earlier this week after they, along with other Arab nationals, were attacked by local employees due to what was reported to be a "personal dispute".

The ministry had also tasked Jordanian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Yousef Abdul Ghani to visit the location of the incident and contact local officials, thus ensuring the necessary protection was provided to the Jordanian engineers.  

The engineers’ return to the Kingdom followed an agreement with the company’s administration to provide their workers with an open-ended vacation and secure transportion home via private plane.

Safadi also expressed appreciation for the government of Kazakhstan and its security apparatus, which quickly responded to the ministry’s demands to provide protection. 

Forty out of 107 Jordanians working in Kazakhstan returned to the Kingdom aboard the plane, according to the Foreign Ministry statement.