Royal Court chief meets with representatives from Aqaba

AMMAN — Upon directives of His Majesty King Abdullah, Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi, head of the follow-up committee for the implementation of Royal initiatives, on Saturday met with a number of dignitaries and representatives from Aqaba, in the presence of His Majesty's Adviser for Tribal Affairs Atef Hajaya.

The meeting came as a follow up on the requests made during His Majesty’s visit to the port city last week, and address the needs of locals, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Issawi highlighted His Majesty's directives to ease living pressures, reduce poverty and unemployment, and generate jobs through supporting SMEs and home-based work for young people and women, notably facilitating financing and licensing measures.

Talks also highlighted a number of Royal initiatives implemented in Aqaba over the past years, and Issawi noted that in the upcoming period, importance will be attached to projects focused on job generation and development.

The Royal Hashemite Court will coordinate and cooperate with the relevant entities to consider the requests and fulfil priority demands, Issawi said. 

During the meeting, President of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Nayef Fayez highlighted the achievements in Aqaba over the past years, and noted that the locals' demands will be considered in order to improve development. 

The demands of the people of Aqaba, 330km south of Amman, focused on capitalising on the governorate’s advantages, notably in the tourism sector, as well as upgrading the infrastructure, creating jobs for youth and establishing alternative energy projects.

The locals also called for a review of the regulations governing ASEZA and for drawing a strategic plan to improve the zone, Petra said.