'Our most precious asset is the individual citizen remains Jordan’s guiding principle'

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday reaffirmed that “our most precious asset is the individual citizen” remains Jordan’s guiding principle, expressing pride in Jordanians for their sense of responsibility amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

At a meeting with prominent figures from various governorates at Al Husseiniya Palace, part of ongoing public outreach, King Abdullah referred to the late King Hussein’s motto, describing it as a strategic priority for Jordan’s leadership, according to a Royal Court statement.

Highlighting Jordan’s successful handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, His Majesty said the Kingdom, like all countries around the world, incurred the economic cost of the crisis, and now is the time to focus on the economy.

The King emphasised the economy, poverty and unemployment as the key challenges ahead, reaffirming that Jordan will come out stronger after COVID-19.

His Majesty highlighted Jordan’s potential to excel in the pharmaceutical, advanced agricultural, and medical supplies manufacturing sectors, calling for bolstering the agricultural sector to reduce unemployment and noting cooperation between the government and the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army in this regard.

The King stressed the importance of coordination among various public and private stakeholders to reach effective outcomes in terms of agricultural and industrial production.

Turning to efforts to promote tourism in Jordan, His Majesty highlighted the role of the sector in the economy, but noted that any decision to reopen borders requires careful examination.

Jordan will review its experience in film and medical tourism before expanding to receive more tourists, the King said, in order to ensure that there are no issues in terms of COVID-19 spread, noting the importance of religious tourism and promoting tourist attractions in the governorates.

Discussing regional concerns, His Majesty stressed Jordan’s strong diplomatic relations with all, citing the Kingdom’s efforts to support medical cadres in friendly countries to enable them to counter COVID-19.

Jordan’s position on the Palestinian cause remains clear and steadfast, the King reaffirmed, highlighting outreach to European and US leading figures to discuss the latest developments, including meetings with US Congress members.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said the government, upon His Majesty’s directives, is working to support promising sectors that have substantial potential for growth due to the impact of COVID-19, such as food processing, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies manufacturing.

Prime Minister Razzaz pointed to a number of apparel industry companies that managed to quickly change their production lines to manufacture and export medical masks.

Noting that the agricultural sector has shown its potential to ramp up production, the prime minister outlined planned government measures to include sector workers under social security, which would help employ Jordanians in agriculture in place of guest workers.

Agricultural cooperatives would also be activated to help fund agricultural projects and support farmers, he said.

For their part, the attendees commended His Majesty’s leadership in enabling Jordan to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, calling for capitalising on the Kingdom’s success in dealing with the pandemic.

They urged attention to tourism and agriculture as key sectors, while building on the experience of remote learning to improve it further.

The attendees also noted His Majesty’s unwavering position on the Palestinian cause and his rejection of any Israeli plans to annex West Bank lands.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty for Communication and Coordination Bisher Al Khasawneh, Adviser to His Majesty for Tribal Affairs Saad Hayel Srour, Adviser to His Majesty for Policies and Media Kamal Al Nasser, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti attended the meeting.