Category: Government Policy

Minister of Justice, Ahmed Ziyadat, highlighted on Monday, in a meeting with British Ambassador to Jordan, Bridget Brind, the importance of strengthening and activating cooperation aspects in the legal fields, to serve the justice sector.

Pointing to the “deep-rooted, historic” relations between the two countries, Ziyadat stressed the importance of maintaining joint cooperation in all fields.

In a separate meeting, Ziyadat discussed with the Italian Ambassador to Jordan, Fabio Cassese, and his accompanying delegation, ways to enhance joint cooperation relations in the legal and judicial fields between the two friendly countries.

Cassese, for his part, lauded the “deep-rooted” Jordanian-Italian relations and the desire to strengthen future joint cooperation in the legal field.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday started his Europe tour in Austria, where he held talks with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on bilateral ties and means to expand economic, trade, and military cooperation.

The talks, which were held at Hofburg Palace and continued over a working lunch attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, covered the latest regional developments, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, as well as global issues such as climate change, food security, and means to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussions also addressed advancing cooperation in the fields of safeguarding the environment, vocational education, and agricultural and food industries.

King Abdullah stressed the need to reach just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution, guaranteeing the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

His Majesty said Jordan will continue its efforts to safeguard Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship, stressing the need to maintain support for UNRWA to sustain its health and education services under its UN mandate.

The talks also covered the importance of reaching political solutions to regional crises, as well as continuing efforts to counter terrorism within a holistic approach.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Jordan’s Ambassador in Vienna Leena Al Hadid, and a number of senior Austrian officials attended the talks.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah and Federal Chancellor of Austria Alexander Schallenberg on Monday discussed ways to advance cooperation.

During the meeting, held at the Austrian Federal Chancellery, King Abdullah congratulated Chancellor Schallenberg on assuming his term.

During bilateral and expanded talks, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, discussions covered cooperation in the fields of safeguarding the environment, vocational education, and agricultural and food industries.

The two sides also discussed the latest regional and international developments, with His Majesty urging stepping up efforts to reach just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution, guaranteeing the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Discussing the Syrian file, the King stressed Jordan’s support for efforts to safeguard Syria’s sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity, and the unity of its people.

The importance of maintaining efforts to counter terrorism within a holistic approach was also discussed.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan, Jordan’s Ambassador in Vienna Leena Al Hadid, and a number of senior Austrian officials attended the expanded talks.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Monday participated in the Middle East Green Initiative Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The summit, inaugurated by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who is also deputy prime minister and minister of defence of Saudi Arabia, brings together heads and representatives of governments and international organisations, with the goal of enhancing cooperation to implement joint commitments to counter climate change.

In remarks at the summit, Crown Prince Al Hussein said climate change is “the most urgent challenge of our time”, but it does not receive the level of attention it demands.

“The three major monotheistic religions all consider protecting the environment to be a matter of faith. Islam, for example, asks us to refrain from cutting down trees, wasting water, or even hunting outside of prescribed seasons,” His Royal Highness said.

The Crown Prince voiced hope that the outcomes of the summit will extend beyond the region’s borders.

“In Jordan, we face a number of climate challenges, chief amongst them is water scarcity. Our resources have been severely strained after welcoming consecutive waves of refugees over the past decade,” His Royal Highness said.

“Nonetheless, we have not lost sight of the importance of safeguarding our environment. Our 2021-2025 Green Growth National Action Plan covers multiple sectors, including agriculture, energy, water, and waste management,” the Crown Prince continued.

His Royal Highness said Jordan’s 2030 nationally determined contributions signal the Kingdom’s commitment to serving as a regional and global partner in efforts to counter climate change and mitigate its impact.

“In our region, there is plenty of grounds for optimism. For example, green projects springing up in Saudi Arabia have the potential to create major opportunities for the private sector and hundreds of thousands of jobs, all while safeguarding the environment,” the Crown Prince added.

His Royal Highness also stressed the need to agree on government policies to counter the impact of climate change by implementing modern, water-saving farming practices, accelerating the shift towards renewable energy, promoting the use of electric vehicles, and converting waste into an energy source.

“We must also not forget the urgent need to reframe common perceptions of this challenge. So, let us develop educational systems that will contribute solutions to counteract this global phenomenon,” the Crown Prince said, stressing that “we owe as much to current and future generations.”

His Royal Highness also thanked Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for organising the summit.

In remarks at the opening of the summit, the Saudi crown prince stressed the need to coordinate efforts and bridge gaps in regional action to combat climate change, noting the importance of exchanging expertise and technologies to ensure successful implementation.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Environment Minister Muawieh Radaideh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ali Al Kayed, and Director of the Office of the Crown Prince Mustafa Khalifeh attended the summit’s opening session.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Prices of 21-karat gold, the highest demand at local market, stood at JD36.60 per gramme, as purchasing price, against JD35.10 as selling price, an official said Saturday.

Jordan Jewelers Association’s Secretary General, Ribhy Allan, told Jordan News Agency (Petra) that the price of 24-karat and 18-karat gold, for purchasing, amounted to JD43.50 and JD32.70 respectively.

The price of a Rashadi lira, weighing seven grammes, stood at JD256, while an English lira, which weighs eight grammes reached JD292, Allan said.

He added that gold prices in global markets on Friday reached $1,794 per ounce.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah has sent a cable to Dame Cindy Kiro, congratulating her on assuming her term as governor-general of New Zealand, and wishing the people of New Zealand continued prosperity and progress.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Senate’s President, Faisal Fayez, affirmed the upper chamber’s commitment to cooperating with the government and supporting its programs and decisions, within His Majesty King Abdullah II’s directives and visions, in a way that serves national interests and meets the citizens’ aspirations in various fields.

Fayez, speaking at his meeting with Minister of Labor, Nayef Istitiah Thursday, said the Senate committees are “keen” on continuous cooperation with the relevant ministries on legislation, issues and files, foremost are serving the public interest, and providing “equal” opportunities in the training areas for Jordanian youth “fairly” in all the Kingdom’s governorates.

Istitiah, for his part, said the Ministry of Labor’s role aims to regulate the labor market in accordance with the related regulations and instructions in place to create job opportunities for trained and qualified Jordanian workers, who have the “necessary” competencies required for various sectors and economic activities.

The ministry, he noted, is “keen” to cooperate with the Parliament’s two chambers, civil society institutions, and the private sector, the main employer of Jordanian labor.

To ensure transparency, Istitiah stressed ministry’s openness to all employers and workers to achieve the national interest, praising Fayez’s visit to review its efforts.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Jordan’s energy minister and US ambassador in Amman Wednesday discussed Jordan’s aspirations to expand its energy contribution to the region and transmit power to Lebanon.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh and US Ambassador Henry T. Wooster discussed furthering bilateral cooperation on energy, where the former highlighted Jordan’s regional power transmission projects.

Kharabsheh underscored the deep-rooted Jordan-US ties, praising the US for its support for Jordan’s power sector.

Source: Jordan News Agency

His Majesty King Abdullah is scheduled on Monday to start a European tour that includes Austria, Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

The Royal tour aims to expand cooperation between Jordan and these countries, in addition to addressing the recent regional and international developments.

King Abdullah will also participate in the UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021 (COP26), which will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The government Wednesday said it turned down a request to hold an activity of the “Islamic Action Front” party to mark the Prophet’s birthday because the party had “overridden” the competent authorities.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior said the party requested to hold the observance from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquity, where the competent authority is the Interior Ministry.

He explained the party’s action to override the Interior Ministry has “political indications, and it is an unjustifiable provocation.”

The Ministry was “taken aback” when it had seen a copy of the party’s request to hold the event on social media, he said, adding the action was inconsiderate to the correspondence protocol between government institutions and political partie

Source: Jordan News Agency