Planning minister presents avenues of cooperation at EU-Arab World Summit

AMMAN — Jordan is keen on enhancing cooperation with Europe through focusing on mutual benefits necessary for the European and Arab regions to interact, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Mohamad Al-Ississ has said. 

Al-Ississ made the remarks while representing Jordan at the Athens-hosted fourth EU-Arab World Summit, according to a ministry statement on Sunday.

The summit was held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The minister highlighted the importance of the meeting in light of the “great challenges” the European and Arab regions are facing, including regional instability, conflicts and unrest, as well as high unemployment rates among youth and refugee and immigration problems.

Such issues require the coordination of all member countries, institutions and international banks and multilateral organisations in using effective tools to attract the necessary finances for achieving the goals of the strategic partnership between the two regions, he noted.

Jordan has shown resilience despite several repercussions that have resulted from regional unrest, including the Syrian crisis and its negative consequences on several sectors and the Treasury, as well as trade exchange, as a result of the closure of the border with Syria, Al-Ississ told participants.   

The minister referred to the humane commitment the Kingdom has shown in hosting refugees, urging donors to honour their pledges to help Amman alleviate the repercussions of the Syrian crisis.

Meanwhile, he stressed that Jordan enjoys a safe environment that makes it an important incubator for investments and businesses, despite the difficult geopolitical conditions in the Middle East.

The minister called on participants to explore investment opportunities in the Kingdom, which witnessed an advanced ranking in the Doing Business 2020 report.

Al-Ississ also spoke about the efforts of the two regions to secure sustainable energy supplies, saying that while Europe seeks to have more sustainable resources for renewable energy, Jordan has a surplus of electricity generation, which opens the door for the Kingdom to export power to Europe.

The summit was also an opportunity for Jordan to urge the international community to bear its responsibilities towards the Kingdom as a host for refugees and provide the necessary funds for the Jordan Response Plan, to help Amman continue playing its humanitarian role, the statement added. 

The EU-Arab World Summit is an international forum of economic and political dialogue between the EU and the Arab world, according to the summit’s website. 

“Since 2016, when the summit was established in cooperation with the Government of the Hellenic Republic, our goal has been to identify and promote the two regions’ common interests and values collectively, and single out priority areas for cooperation, taking into account regional and global challenges,” the website added.

The EU-Arab World Summit, the first forum held within European grounds to acknowledge the need for further enhancement of EU-Arab relations, has been organised for the past three years with the support of the Greek government, the European Parliament, the Arab League and the European Commission.