Safadi, EU official talk economic cooperation

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and EU Commissioner of Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi on Thursday held discussions on cooperation between the Kingdom and the union, as well as EU-supported economic cooperation programmes in Jordan, in addition to financial aid agreements. 

The EU commissioner confirmed the union’s readiness to start providing financial support under the EU's soft loan when the 500 million euros loan agreement is signed, which will be completed in the coming days. 

Talks also went over cooperation programmes designated to handle the pandemic and its economic repercussions, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The two sides also reviewed regional developments and efforts exerted towards resolving regional crises and achieving security and stability.

Safadi expressed appreciation to the EU's support for the Kingdom, drawing attention to the importance of the agreements of understanding between the Kingdom and the EU, which include 700-million-euro financial assistance to the Kingdom as soft loans/microcredits 

The agreements also included the approval of 500 million euros in January of 2020 and an additional 200 million euros approved in June of 2020.

Discussions also referred to the outcomes of the fourth Brussels Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”, which took place in June 2020, in which the international community pledged a total of 6.9 billion euros to Syria and Syrian refugee-hosting countries for 2020 and the following years.

Safadi also urged the international community to meet its obligations to refugees to enable the Kingdom to provide services to refugees, especially amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EU commissioner stressed that the EU stands by Jordan in facing economic challenges, praising Jordan's humanitarian role towards Syrian refugees.

The two sides agreed to continue communication to identify the priorities of the Jordanian-European partnership, notably in the economic aspect, to overcome the challenges and to support the growth and economic correction programmes that are priorities for Jordan's economic policies, according to Petra.