Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) – Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday praised the European Union's financial and technical aid to Jordan as he briefed a senior EU official on the Kingdom's political and socio-economic reforms.

Ensour told EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule that EU aid helped Jordan to carry out reform and development schemes and said the Kingdom is interested in further deepening a partnership with the bloc's member nations.

"Despite events in the region, Jordan managed to become a model for security, stability and economic reform that bolsters democracy and grassroots participation in the decision-making process", the prime minister added.

He pointed to the huge burdens Jordan had assumed as a result of taking in large numbers of Syrian refugees which, he said, had put enormous pressure on the Kingdom's already limited resources, particularly in the health and education sectors. He said foreign aid would only cover a small portion of the cost of hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians.

Ensour thanked the EU for increasing the amount of aid to enable the Kingdom to continue services to the refugees, noting the additional burdens on local communities, which also needed urgent assistance.

Fule spoke highly of Jordan’s reforms, which are cementing the country’s democratization drive and bolstering freedoms, noting the democratic empowerment program launched by His Majesty King Abdullah two days ago, which aims to enroot democracy and galvanize democratic practices to enhance development and progress.

Hailing Jordan's efforts to cope with the Syrian refugee exodus, Fule said he would announce, during his visit, additional EU aid to Jordan and also support local communities that had been affected by the flow of refugees.