Day: January 10, 2023

Lower House Speaker Ahmed Safadi arrived in Baghdad, chairing a parliamentary delegation that includes all heads of parliamentary blocs.

The Jordanian delegation were received by the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, and Jordan Ambassador to Baghdad, Muntasir al-Uqla.

Safadi is scheduled to hold official talks with his Iraqi counterpart, senior Iraqi officials, and all Iraqi parliamentary blocs.

The visit aims to enhance joint parliamentary cooperation and coordination and overcome any legislative obstacles to joint cooperation projects between the two countries, a Lower House statement said.

The visit also aims to build on the outcomes of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, which Jordan hosted in December with regional and international participation, and which underlined that security and stability of Iraq constitutes a fundamental pillar for the security and stability of the region.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah has sent a cable to Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, expressing congratulations on his induction as Sultan of Oman.

In the cable, King Abdullah expressed on his behalf, the people and government of Jordan, warmest congratulations on this occasion, wishing His Majesty good health and the brotherly Omani people further progress and prosperity, under his wise leadership.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Social Development, Wafaa Bani Mustafa, on Tuesday met with Libyan Minister of Social Affairs, Wafaa Abu Bakr Al-Kilani, for a discussed on ways of joint cooperation, especially in the social services field.

Bani Mustafa said that the ministry, through its technical staff in shelters, is keen to provide the best services to beneficiaries, and seeks to convert the shelters into integrated day shelters.

She highlighted the Ministry’s services in the areas of childhood, juveniles, productive families, abused women and people with disabilities, and the efforts made in economic empowerment for the able-bodied category of them, with the aim of their real integration into society.

For her part, the Libyan minister expressed her desire to leverage Jordan’s experience in the social services field , and to sign a cooperation agreement to exchange expertise, especially in the areas of disability, integration, productive families, and childhood.

Al-Kilani lauded the Jordanian experience and the level of services provided to beneficiaries, noting that about 100 Libyan children with disabilities, especially autism, receive services in special education centers in Jordan.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Minister of Government Communications Faisal Shboul said that His Majesty King Abdullah and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Tuesday listened to a detailed presentation, by Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh ,on the new city project, indicating that His Majesty directed directed the government to form an advisory committee for the project and proceed with it.

He added that the government has formed a ministerial committee to oversee the project, and proceed with the establishment of a government-owned company to which ownership of land and government buildings that will be relocated to the new city, will be transferred to, with the exception of ministries and sovereign institutions.

With regard to the government’s contribution to the new city project, Shboul explained that the government pledged to contribute an amount of JD442 million, starting from the implementation of the project in 2025, at a rate of JD50 million annually.

He indicated that the government has allocated, starting this year, JD2 million, while the consultant will conduct more studies on the comprehensive and detailed master plan for the project, in preparation for its implementation.

Regarding the timeframe for the project implementing, Shboul said that this year will witness the development of detailed plans (the masterplan) for the project, which will be built entirely on government-owned lands, surrounded by state-owned lands, as well as the establishment of the wholly government-owned company.

He explained that the first phase of the project will start in 2025 and end in 2033, indicating that in 2028 government buildings will be completed, in preparation for their relocation, and the construction of housing units.

He said that the city is located 40 km from the center of Amman, 31 km from the city of Zarqa, and 27 km from Queen Alia International Airport, indicating that the new city is characterized by being planned in advance to accommodate the population increase in the central region, in light of the population pressure in Amman, and the city of Zarqa.

According to Shboul, the city will provide a new and modern environment by all standards, in which all facilities will be available, including entertainment venues and housing at reasonable prices for citizens. The city is expected to accommodate more than 157,000 people in the first phase, and is expected to reach 1 million people in the final phases that will end in 2050.

He noted that the new city is located within the borders of the capital, and not within the borders of the Amman Greater Municipality, and between two international lanes in the Badia region, linking Jordan with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, indicating that it will be a fully independent and self-contained city.

Shboul projected that the new city, during the construction phases, would accommodate 90,000 job opportunities, which would reflect positively on the labor and construction sector.

He added that the city project, according to studies and plans that are being prepared, will be sustainable and smart, using modern technology, characterized by efficient energy, transportation and water networks, encouraging green industries and providing business centers based on economic sectors, all of which constitute high values and high returns, and attract future growth in the growing population in the center of the Kingdom.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday was briefed on plans for establishing the new city, to be located nearly 40km from Amman’s centre and 31km from Zarqa city, in line with economic and administrative modernisation efforts.

The meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace and attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, brought together Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh and a number of officials, as well as the team involved in the new city project.

King Abdullah directed the government to form an advisory committee of specialists and experts in various sectors to benefit from their views on city planning, to ensure the new city will be an architectural and urban model, and to meet the sustainability needs for resources, energy, water, and the environment.

His Majesty called for moving forward with the implementation of the new city within clearly identified timeframes, in order for the project to become a key economic driver, while providing an investment-friendly environment to create job opportunities, highlighting the importance of providing the public with clear and transparent information on the project.

The King also stressed the need for the new city to accommodate current and future population growth in Jordan, improve quality of life, and ease pressure on facilities in Amman and Zarqa, in addition to being a model of effective public-private partnership.

The city will be established on and surrounded by state-owned lands, which would facilitate decision-making regarding various phases of the project.

Prime Minister Khasawneh elaborated on the government’s measures to complete this national megaproject, noting that studies and plans will be completed in two years, with the necessary funds allocated by the government, expecting implementation to start in 2025 with the infrastructure, as a total of JD442 million will be allocated for the infrastructure from the state budget, at an average of JD50 million annually.

He added that a ministerial committee was formed to supervise progress, noting that a government-owned company will later handle the management and follow-up on implementation of all phases of the project.

The prime minister noted that the ownership of new city lands will be transferred to this government-owned company, adding that the government will endorse regulations on urban planning of the city.

He said the city will be based on public-private partnership, and several buildings and facilities will be constructed on a build-operate-transfer basis.

For his part, Tharwat Masalha resident manager of Dar Al Handasah, the firm tasked with preparing the studies and masterplan of the new city highlighted the sustainable approach in planning the city, by ensuring sustainability of water and energy resources, and using modern transportation systems, in order for the city to be eco-friendly and attractive to residents.

He expected the first phase of the project, which includes preparing the masterplan, to be finalised by early 2025, and for the second phase of building the infrastructure to start in the same year.

Masalha said the city’s nucleus will include building a governmental complex that would house some public institutions, surrounded by residential areas, and other entertainment and commercial facilities, expected to be finalised in 2030.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The Lower House’s Finance Committee Tuesday debated the draft budget law for the year 2023 in the attendance of cabinet ministers, who gave briefings on key aspects of government policy.

The government team briefed the lawmakers on the main features of the budget during a meeting, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Public Sector Modernization Nasser Shraideh, and the ministers of Finance Mohammad Al Ississ, Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, Investment Kholoud Saqqaf, Tourism and Antiquities Makram Qaisi, Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef Shamali and environment Muawiya Radaydeh, as well as Central Bank Governor Adel Sharkas.

Committee Chairman, lawmaker Nimir Sleihat said today’s meeting was to put lawmakers in the picture of plans, projects, economic vision and monetary policy and stability.

He said the ministers spoke of enhancing the investment environment in various sectors, especially mining and tourism.

Shraideh said the government is working to translate the economic vision launched by His Majesty King Abdullah in June, as key legislation, including the investment environment law, was finalized to promote the business environment and provide incentives to investors.

He stressed the importance of the tourism sector in creating job opportunities, adding that the necessary funding has been allocated to prop up the sector, which saw a recovery last year that beat expectations, and “this year we aspire for more success.”

Kharabsheh, the energy minister, said ministries are required to set a timeline for each project under the modernization scheme with accountability, adding that the ministry signed six memorandums of understanding for the exploration of minerals in the Kingdom.

Ississ said that the global situation “is extremely complex in light of the circumstances that the world went through, and is still,” but Jordan managed to rein in inflation, compared to developed countries, where it ran at over 8 percent, adding that growth in world countries fell short of International Monetary Fund projections.

Jordan, he said, maintained growth, which is expected to be 2.7 percent this year, as well as financial stability and the exchange rate of the Jordanian dinar.

The other cabinet members also outlined their ministries’ performance and strategies of sectors.

Source: Jordan News Agency