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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minster Hani Mulki Tuesday valued the key support of the Kingdom of Belgium of Jordan which helped it to face economic challenges posed by the situation in the region, particularly the consequences of the Syrian refugee crisis.

Welcoming Queen Mathilde of Belgium this morning, the premier also thanked Brussels for the aid it had pledged during the London Donors conference in February, in addition to helping Jordan reach a deal with the European Union on simplifying rules of origin.

"We count on the Belgian role to work with the European Union to sustain assistance to Jordan", said Mulki.

He also reviewed socio-economic challenges resulting from hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees, who makeup 20 per cent of the Kingdom's population.

"Jordan cannot handle this burden anymore without real assistance from the global community that would contribute to improving its economy and enable it to deal with these problems efficiently", the premier added.

Mulki explained that education, health and water are the most affected sectors by the Syrian refugee problem.

The Queen said she appreciated the key role of His Majesty King Abdullah II in promoting peace and security in the Middle East.

She also noted the burdens and problems facing Jordan due to hosting the Syrian refugees, stressing continued support to the Kingdom to continue its humanitarian role.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation, Alexander De Croo, said the Queen's visit came to cement ties and help Jordan to become an example of security in a turbulent region.

Further, the meeting also dealt with other developments in the region, with the premier asserting Jordan's call for political solutions to the crises in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya.

They also spoke about a Jordanian-European business forum slated to beheld in December to explore investment opportunities between Jordan and the EU.