ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury on Sunday discussed the Kingdom's needs and challenges resulting from the Syrian refugee crisis with Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Lenita Toivakka and an accompanying delegation, according to a ministry statement.
The 2015 Jordan Response Plan (JRP) was implemented in cooperation with the international community and UN organisations, Fakhoury said, adding that the plan cost $2.99 billion (approximately JD2.06 billion), of which only 35 per cent was funded.
Fakhoury said the financial burden of hosting refugees increased the Kingdom's budget deficit and debt, as direct and indirect costs borne by the country since the beginning of the Syrian crisis stand at around $6.6 billion (approx. JD4.68 billion), excluding humanitarian aid intervention and supporting resilience and stability.
The minister stressed Jordan has not closed the borders or shut out any Syrian refugees since the influx started in 2011, reiterating that there are around 1.4 million Syrian refugees in the Kingdom, constituting 20 per cent of the population.
He added that the problem is not the refugee crisis per se, but stability and national resilience, in addition to turbulence in the region, whose impact, he said, has reached Europe.
The international community has not committed to the responsibilities it is supposed to shoulder, the planning minister said, adding that this has resulted in delays in the development process.
Jordan is committed to its reform plan through the Jordan 2025 economic blueprint, its executive development programme for the years 2016-2018, and its sustainable development goals, Fakhoury said.
He highlighted Jordan’s pivotal role in achieving security and stability in the region and how the nation is the world’s first line of defence in the war against terrorism.
Fakhoury briefed Toivakka on the country’s preparation for projects to be conducted in the coming period in the form of public-private partnerships in the sectors of infrastructure, transport, renewable energy and water.
He also briefed the official on the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project and its importance, emphasising the need to protect the Dead Sea in regard to its environment, tourism, economy and culture. The Finnish side voiced “strong support” for the “vital” project, according to the statement.
Toivakka commended Jordan’s role, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, in bearing the burden of hosting refugees and stressed the importance of supporting the Kingdom, commending the comprehensive political and economic reform march that Jordan is currently implementing.
She said the Finnish government will increase official development aid to Jordan in order to enable the nation to continue serving Syrian refugees