Planning minister meets chief of Saudi Fund for Development

AMMAN — Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Shraideh on Thursday met with the CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) Sultan Murshid and discussed areas of cooperation between the fund and Jordan.

The talks also covered the progress of development projects the fund supports as part of the Gulf country’s grant, Mecca Summit pledges and other grants to address the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis. 

The ministry, in a statement, said that discussions covered advancing cooperation in priority areas such as water, transport, trade and investment.    

Jordan attaches importance to enhancing bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Shraideh said.

He also acquainted Murshid with the challenges in Jordan, notably the impact of the pandemic on the economy, urging the Saudis to increase concessional financing and grants for Amman.

Murshid commended the high level of cooperation between Jordan and the SFD, stressing that Amman tops the list of countries in terms of implementation of SFD-funded projects.

He also expressed the fund’s readiness to continue support for Jordan’s efforts to mitigate the impact of hosting Syrian refugees and the hardships resulting from the pandemic.  

Saudi Ambassador Nayef Bin Bandar Al Sudairy also reiterated his country’s readiness to support Jordan during the meeting.

The planning minister expressed appreciation of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing support for Jordan, highlighting the grant from the Gulf country to implement strategic projects of priority in Jordan, through which Saudi Arabia allocated $1.25 billion for Jordan.

He also expressed thanks for the aid package Saudi Arabia offered to Jordan, within the framework of the Mecca Summit, and for supporting Jordan’s efforts in hosting refugees.