December 15, 2021 – Page 6 – Jordan News Updates

Head of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee, Khaldoun Haina, lauded the “distinguished” level of Jordanian-Kuwaiti relations in various fields.

Speaking at the panel’s meeting on Wednesday, with Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan, Aziz Daihani, Haina stressed the importance of the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem’s Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

The MP also referred to Kuwaiti investments in Jordan and their importance, calling for increasing their volume and overcoming the difficulties facing investors in both countries.

Meanwhile, the committee’s members commended the bilateral relations, calling for the need to exchange expertise between the Jordanian and Kuwaiti parliaments, and increase job opportunities for Jordanians in Kuwait.

Daihani, for his part, referred to his periodic meetings with Jordanian lawmakers, stressing his keenness on maintaining these discussions to strengthen the bilateral relations.

The number of Jordanians in Kuwait exceeds 62,000, he noted, adding that about 4,000 Kuwaiti students are enrolled at Jordan’s universities.

Kuwaiti investments in Jordan ranked first at the Arab level, which reflect resilience of Jordan’s economy, dismissing reports on obstacles facing Kuwaiti investors in Jordan, the envoy pointed out.

The diplomat also said Jordan has established a field hospital in Kuwait, lauding His Majesty King Abdullah II’s efforts in this regard to confront the Covid-19 pandemic.

The envoy, moreover, pointed to the shared Kuwaiti-Jordanian positions towards the Palestinian cause, stressing his country’s support for the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s holy sites, as well as support for His Majesty King Abdullah II’s efforts to restore momentum to the Palestinian cause.

Daihani stressed that Kuwait will not normalize ties with Israel, explaining that his country blocks entry and transit of any truck carrying any products coming from Israel through its territory.

Jordan, he noted, has endured a lot as a result of hosting various refugee waves, which put pressure on its economy and infrastructure.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan’s drinking water deficit is expected to hit 60 million cubic meters in 2022, Minister of Water and Irrigation Muhammad Najjar told a session of the Lower House of Parliament on Wednesday.

During the session, which was called for by lawmakers to discuss a declaration of intent the Kingdom has recently signed with both the UAE and Israel to explore the possibility of exchanging energy for water, the minister delivered an overview of the Kingdom’s water resources and situation.

Najjar noted that the Kingdom’s annual all-use water consumption currently stands at 1.1 billion cubic meters and that by 2040, the Kingdom will need 800 million cubic meters for drinking and municipal use.

He added that the prospective National Carrier Project (Aqaba-Amman) is hoped to provide the capital and other regions of the Kingdom with 300-350 million cubic meters of desalinated seawater. The minister revealed the project’s tender, which will be the Kingdom’s largest water venture, will be floated on Thursday and will be presented to 3 prequalified consortiums.

Speaking on the energy-for-water project with the UAE and Israel, Najjar said the venture, if proven feasible, will help supply the Kingdom with an additional 200 million cubic meters for drinking and for agriculture.

The minister indicated that the declaration of intent does not entail legal or financial implications for the Kingdom, stressing that this project will not replace the National Carrier Project under any circumstances.

Source: Jordan News Agency