Hungarian minister calls for increasing foreign aid to refugee-burdened Jordan

AMMAN — Hungarian Minister of Justice László Trócsányi on Wednesday urged increased foreign aid to Jordan to reduce pressure on the Kingdom, which is hosting a large number of Syrian refugees.

Voicing Hungary's support to the Kingdom, he said it is vital to continue providing support to Jordan and neighbouring countries that host Syrian refugees, until a solution is found to the Syrian crisis and appropriate conditions are created, enabling the return of Syrian refugees to their country.

"We realise that moral support is much more than the actual aid you are getting from the international community… moral support is essential but we would like to see more concrete aid coming from Europe to Jordan," Trócsányi said in an interview with The Jordan Times at the end of his visit to the country, where he held meetings with several officials on bilateral cooperation.

He said Hungary believes that Jordan and refugee hosting countries deserve "much more help from Europe".

According to official figures, there are about 1.3 million Syrian refugees in Jordan.

"Eliminating the conflict in Syria stops migration and allows refugees in these countries like Jordan to return," he said, referring to the pressure imposed by the presence of large numbers of Syrian refugees on the Kingdom.

During his visit, the minister held discussions with legislators, Justice Minister Awad Al Mashqaba and representatives of the judiciary.

"I had [a] very successful visit to Jordan and fruitful meetings, and we are keen to strengthen cooperation with Jordan in the judicial and legal fields and exchange of expertise," he said.

Discussions covered migration and the need to combat human trafficking and the illegal crossing of borders, and were an opportunity to share Hungary's stance on these issues, he said.

"It is with great satisfaction to see that my counterparts in the Arab world show understanding of our positions," he said.

On cooperation in the field of anti-terrorism and security, the minister added that the Hungarian authorities were in constant coordination with the Jordanian authorities in this regard.

"Our cooperation in security field and anti-terrorism is important… You never know when and where terrorists hit… We have daily cooperation with Jordanian authorities from Hungary and from Europe as a whole in this regard," he said.

During the interview, the Hungarian official said the potential for increased cooperation with Jordan is high in various areas including tourism.

In October this year, Ryanair will start two weekly flights between Amman and Budapest, which will significantly boost the number of Hungarian tourists coming to the Kingdom.

"These flights are important because a lot of Hungarian tourists are expected to come to visit the beautiful sites that you have in Jordan such as Petra as well as the holy sites in the Jordan valley," said the minister.

On cooperation in the field of education, the minister said Hungary provides some 400 fully paid scholarships to Jordanian students every year.

He added that there are 600 Jordanian students currently studying in various Hungarian universities.

Discussions also covered cooperation in various areas including water and other fields, said the minister.

"It was an important visit to build personal relations, which are key for increased cooperation between the two countries," said the minister, adding that Hungary and Jordan share common challenges and issues.