Belgian queen praises Jordan’s efforts in hosting Syrian refugees

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh on Monday discussed bilateral relations with Queen Mathilde of Belgium, highlighting Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania’s recent visit to Belgium, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Queen Mathilde, who arrived to Amman on Sunday, commended the Kingdom’s role in serving Syrian refugees and hosting them, stressing the importance of having the international community shoulder its responsibilities in supporting Jordan. 

She said Jordan plays a pivotal role in dealing with the region’s issues to achieve security and stability, noting that her country supports these efforts.

For his part, Judeh said that Jordan is not only providing a safe haven to Syrian refugees, but it also contributes to raising a generation of children awaiting to do their part in rebuilding their country after the crisis.

He highlighted the burdens Jordan shoulders in the education, health, water, energy and labour sectors due to the repercussions of the refugee crisis, commending Belgium’s support to the Kingdom. 

The two sides stressed the importance of following up on the outcomes of the London donor conference to support Jordan and enable it to continue its humanitarian role, in addition to supporting host communities and the Kingdom’s economy, and collecting the necessary funds to ensure providing education to more than 165,000 Syrian children. 

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury also met with Queen Mathilde and highlighted the importance of establishing connections between the private sectors in both countries in order to build two-way trade partnerships, boost investment and allow Jordanian products to enter European markets. 

During the meeting, attended by Belgian Minister of Development Cooperation Alexander De Croo, Fakhoury commended Belgium’s support for the Kingdom, especially after the London donor conference, a statement from his ministry said. 

The minister said that Jordan cannot shoulder any more burdens resulting from hosting Syrian refugees on behalf of the world, stressing the importance of the international community’s support for the Kingdom to enable it continue providing services to the refugees. 

Also on Monday, Queen Mathilde visited the Zaatari Refugee Camp, 90km northeast of Amman, where 79,901 Syrians are currently residing, according to the UNHCR’s latest figures.

During the visit, the Belgian queen and her accompanying delegation met with the camp’s director and representatives of various international organisations working there, including the UNHCR, UNICEF and the World Food Programme.

They discussed conditions at the camp, Petra reported. 

Queen Mathilde also visited various projects and programmes being implemented in the camp to improve the refugees’ living conditions, especially with regards to education. 

She toured other facilities in the camp to check on the healthcare services offered to the refugees. 

After the visit, Queen Mathilde visited the UNICEF branch in Mafraq and observed the programmes there, joining Syrian students in a class, during which they spoke about how they crossed into Jordan and the difficulties they faced on their journey.