Jordan maintained stability throughout crises, but economy took hit — Razzaz

AMMAN — Despite successive crises in the Middle East over the last 10 years, Jordan has maintained its political and social stability, but the impact on the country’s economy, particularly on growth, living standards and employment, has been “very negative”, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said on Thursday.

Razzaz made his remarks during a dialogue session organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) at its annual meeting in the Swiss city of Davos to discuss attracting investments that contribute to growth and job creation for Jordanians.

"Jordan has been historically destined to live in a difficult surrounding environment, and since the establishment of the Jordanian state nearly 100 years ago, we have been working to ensure good neighbourliness, build bridges of cooperation with all, receive refugees and try to ease the suffering caused by crises, in addition to creating a stable environment for economy and business," Razzaz told the participants.

On the sidelines of his participation in the WEF, Razzaz on Thursday held bilateral meetings with a number of leaders, heads of delegations, ministers and businessmen participating in the forum.

During the talks, attended by Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar, the officials lauded His Majesty King Abdullah’s regional efforts at all levels.

The premier discussed with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres the Syrian crisis and the need to reach a political solution to the conflict, as well as the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis on the Kingdom. 

Guterres lauded the Kingdom’s efforts in providing continuous support to the Syrian refugees and the great burdens borne by the Kingdom in that regard.

The meeting also touched on the need to support UNRWA to ensure the continued provision of relief, education and health services for Palestinian refugees.

Razzaz expressed his appreciation for the UN’s efforts to alleviate Jordan’s burden of Syrian asylum, and the organisation’s understanding of the challenges facing the Kingdom. 

The premier also discussed with Queen Maxima of The Netherlands, the UN secretary general’s special advocate for inclusive finance for development, Jordan’s strategic approach to financial inclusion, which seeks to enable the citizens to easily access financial services and ensures the fair distribution of these services. 

Queen Maxima stressed that Jordan is considered a promising success story in the area of financial-inclusion policies, and that the country is making great strides at a rapid pace in this field.

Razzaz also met with British Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt, during which discussions focused on preparations for the London conference, scheduled to be held at the end of February to support investment and development in the Kingdom.

The British government, as the sponsor of the conference, is making arrangements and holding talks with countries, governments, international donor institutions, finance funds and international companies to participate in the conference, Mordaunt pointed out.

Razzaz affirmed Jordan’s appreciation for the British government’s efforts in hosting the conference and promoting it, pointing out that Jordan considers the event an important milestone to promote its investment opportunities, industries and service providers in the international sphere.

Razzaz also met with WEF President Borge Brende and discussed the preparations for April’s WEF on the Middle East and North Africa, slated to be held at the Dead Sea. 

The premier and the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn discussed developmental relations and the EU’s aid to refugees in Jordan, as well as Jordanian-EU bilateral agreements and means to arrive at new ones.

The meeting also tackled the EU’s mechanisms of support for the upcoming London conference and the preparations for holding the Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region in March, according to the statement.

Furthermore, Razzaz met with Kuwaiti Finance Minister Nayef Hajraf, and voiced his appreciation for Kuwait’s constant support to Jordan. 

The premier said that Jordan is looking forward to the upcoming visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah to Jordan. 

For his part, Hajraf expressed his country’s keenness to make further investments in the Kingdom due to its attracting environment and peace and stability it enjoys. 

He also expressed his willingness to participate in the upcoming London conference to support the country’s investment and development.