PM briefs senators on local developments, challanges

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Monday briefed senators on the latest local developments and the challenges facing the Kingdom, with a focus on economic challenges, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

In the presence of several ministers, Mulki stressed the government’s keenness to continue cooperation and consultation with Parliament in both the Senate and the Lower House, in order to maximise national achievements and overcome the challenges caused by external factors such as regional instability, according to Petra.

He stressed that Jordan is a “strong and impervious” country and will turn all challenges into opportunities.

The PM reviewed a set of basic pillars and goals that the government implemented a year after drafting them, highlighting that the Cabinet will on Tuesday discuss a report about the government’s efforts to identify  weaknesses and rectify them.

Mulki said that the political situation in the region has imposed difficult economic conditions on Jordan, due to the closure of borders with neighbouring countries, which has affected exports to traditional markets.

Under these circumstances, the premier noted that it has been necessary to proceed with a national economic and financial reform programme that puts the national economy “back on the right track” and which removes any structural obstacles.

He highlighted that the Jordanian dinar is “stable and strong”, and that the Kingdom’s foreign currency reserves are at a sound level.

The prime minister also noted that the ratio between the public debt and the gross domestic product was stable and has not increased during the past year.

Mulki referred to government procedures to diversify the country’s energy resources and switch to renewable energy, noting that plans are under way to begin a project to produce electricity from oil shale, with production expected to start in 2021.

Senate President Faisal Fayez reiterated that the economic and social challenges Jordan require unified efforts among all in order to achieve “the higher national interest”.