On Tuesday 11 July, Jordan's Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi called for cooperation on counter-terrorism to be continued, saying that the threat was bigger than ever.
"We need to fight together, to strangle this threat not only on the military but also on the security level, and we need to counter the ideology", he told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee. Safadi said that "progress on Mosul or Raqqa was the easy part" in the fight, and that the hardest part was the security aspect, which is even more important "now that there is no more Caliphate". The terrorists will be scattered and "will have a greater spirit for revenge", he said.
"The fight against terrorism needs to be strengthened, and terrorists to be discredited. They are no longer part of our civilisation or our religion (...) We need to fight against the fundamental causes of this violence", he added. Jordan cooperates with the European states, especially on information, the compatibility of regulations on counter-terrorism, on training imams and formulating messages to counter terrorist propaganda.
Safadi said political reforms should enable the roots of terrorism to be countered, "with more room for citizens, democracy, creating economic and social potential". "We refuse to encroach on civil rights and human rights. On the contrary, it is important to enlarge in order to fight terrorism", he said.
The minister stated that Jordan was currently moving ahead on many reforms, especially in terms of the rule of law, human development, education and women's empowerment. He also stated that the Jordanian economy would suffer from the ongoing conflicts in the region and that its growth would decrease from 8% to just under 2% in a few years. The country is also hosting 1.3 million Syrian refugees, which accounts for 20% of its population.
New aid of €200 million
At the Association Council the previous day, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini had announced new macro-financial aid of €200 million to help Jordan address the Syrian refugee crisis. The EU and Jordan "hailed the agreement obtained this morning (on the technical level) on the memorandum of understanding for macro-financial assistance", Mogherini had told press. She said that the aid will be for €200 million and will be available in the coming weeks. The entry into force of the memorandum of understanding is expected to enable the disbursement of the first instalment of €100 million in aid. Safadi stated that this funding, which would go to the national budget, would enable Jordan to tackle the repercussions of "regional challenges".
The EU and Jordan also discussed their very good bilateral relationship, and issues of foreign policy, including the Middle East peace process and Syrian crisis. Safadi then stated that the EU had a major role to play in the process of rebuilding the country. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)