Day: March 28, 2023

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh Tuesday met with President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Odile Renaud-Basso and an accompanying delegation. During the meeting, the Prime Minister lauded the bank’s support in a number of sectors, announcing the signing of a 30-million-euro grant agreement with the bank at the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation today for the construction of a water treatment plant in the al-Ghabawi area. He underscored the partnership between Jordan and the EBRD, pointing out that the bank is one of the most important partners and supporters of Jordan’s public and private sectors. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of Renaud-Basso’s visit to enhance cooperation and to look firsthand at the investment environment in the Kingdom, expressing hope for further investments in many vital areas. Khasawneh pointed to plans to pass a law for partnership between the public and private sectors to overcome the obstacles that result from the current law to the implementation of many development and service projects. For her part, Renaud-Basso indicated that the bank is looking forward to expanding its operations and investments in the Kingdom, stressing the bank’s interest in many projects that Jordan intends to implement, especially in areas of energy, water, clean energy, and green economy.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi discussed with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib Jordanian-Lebanese relations and regional and international issues of common interest. During a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Amman, the ministers reaffirmed a common interest to build on the “historical” relations between the two countries and increase bilateral cooperation. In a joint press conference, Safadi emphasized the strategic and historic relations with Lebanon, referring to decades of cooperation and joint action to serve the interests of the two “brotherly” countries and Arab interests and issues. Safadi said Jordan will continue to firmly stand by Lebanon to overcome the crisis it is facing and restore its security and status within the Arab region. However, he added, reform must come from within Lebanon, voicing Jordan’s confidence that the “Lebanese brothers will overcome the challenges and reach the necessary consensus to reinvigorate national institutions to serve the country’s interests and its people.” Safadi told reporters his talks with Bou Habib tackled economic cooperation, including supplying Lebanon with electricity via Syria after Lebanon finalizes an agreement with the World Bank, which will finance the electrical interconnection project. On the Syrian refugees, Safadi said that providing a decent life for refugees is not only the responsibility of host countries, but a common responsibility by the international community. “We will continue to do whatever we can to provide a decent life for the refugees until the conditions come to allow them to return voluntarily to their country.., which we hope will restore its security, stability and regional role,” he pledged. Safadi said Jordan is working with the international community to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis, through the Jordanian Initiative, based on an Arab role to engages directly with the Syrian government on reciprocal basis, to reach a gradual solution that ends the crisis and addresses all its political, humanitarian and security ramifications. He said Jordan and Lebanon, both neighboring countries of Syria, want to see an end to this catastrophic crisis for which the Syrian people have paid a heavy price and the entire region bore its adverse repercussions. Safadi also said he and the Lebanese minister discussed the Palestinian issue and efforts exerted to stop the deterioration in the occupied Palestinian territories and confront extremist agendas that are in violation of Palestinian people’s rights and that try to block them from achieving their full political rights, especially setting up an independent, sovereign state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of June 4. 1967 and on the basis of the two-state solution. He reiterated Jordan’s unwavering support of the Palestinian people and their rights, and said the Kingdom continued coordination at the regional and international levels to stop the ongoing Israeli violations against them and stop attempts to change the historical and legal status quo at the Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. For his part, Bou Habib thanked Jordan’s support of Lebanon, including aid after the massive explosion at Beirut Port in August 2020. He said Lebanon also backed Jordan’s position towards the recent events and condemns the recent escalation by the Israeli occupation authorities in occupied Palestine, specifically in the city of Jerusalem, reiterating support for the Hashemite Custodianship over the Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.

Source: Jordan News Agency