At a hearing at the European Parliament on Tuesday 18 March, Jordan's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan, announced that her country hoped to be able to organise an EU/Jordan investment conference “by the end of the year - November would be a good time”.
Welcoming the strategic and global partnership, the Minister explained that her country was giving priority to certain areas “such as green hydrogen, the mining sector and critical raw materials, digital and energy connectivity” (see EUROPE 13568/19).
She also thanked the EU for its financial support and for the macrofinancial assistance of €500 million, which will be discussed by the European Parliament's International Trade Committee on Thursday. This support is linked to reforms on the Jordanian side.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ayman Al Safadi, discussed the situation in the region, particularly in Syria. “Syria's stability is essential for the refugee issue, among others, but also for the fight against terrorism. It is in everyone's interest to ensure that Syria is stable and secure”, he explained, arguing that Europe should play a leading role in guaranteeing security in the region.
Noting that his country was hosting 1.3 million Syrians - 50,000 having returned to their country since December - Ayman Al Safadi explained that, without international support, Jordan would not be able to provide them with a decent life and said he was alarmed at the “decline in international support for refugees” (see EUROPE 13601/1). He called on the EU to play a leading role in this support and to lift its sanctions so that Syrians could “rebuild their lives”.
Emphasising that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (see other news) was at the heart of the instability in the region, Mr Al Safadi felt that the only solution was a peace that guaranteed the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians. “Everyone has something to lose if the (ceasefire) agreement is not implemented ", he warned, explaining that it was necessary to ensure that the ceasefire held, that humanitarian aid arrived and that the hostage/prisoner exchanges were properly implemented, “otherwise we risk sinking even deeper into darkness”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)