PM, Kuwait development fund chief discuss cooperation
27-09-2016 10:45 AM
Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki, on Tuesday, said that serving the common Arab interest is on top of Kuwait's priorities as the Gulf Arab state is a keen supporter of pan-Arab issues.
Speaking during a meeting with Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Director General, Abdul Wahab Al-Bader, the prime minister said he appreciated Kuwait's support for the developmental efforts of Jordan.
He added that Kuwait's support, through its share of a $5 billion grant by Gulf Arab states to Jordan, was to help overcome the challenges resulting from the Kingdom's hosting of a large number of Syrian refugees and address the impact of the refugee crisis on the host communities.
During the meeting, attended by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, Mulki commended KFAED for its financial assistance to launch projects funded by the Gulf Arab grant.
The prime minister pointed out that a number of projects had been launched with funding by the Kuwaiti grant, namely the Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Terminal in Aqaba, which, he said, is one of the Kingdom's strategic projects.
Al-Bader praised the level of ties, pledging that the Kuwaiti fund will stand by Jordan to help address its developmental needs and also deal with the challenges posed by regional instability.
He also referred to the good management Jordan had displayed over the past years to improve the national economy despite the surrounding circumstances and economic pressures placed on the Kingdom by the regional turmoil, foremost of which are the waves of migrations.
The Kuwaiti official is visiting to sign grant agreements as a contribution to bankroll the Jordan response plan to the Syrian refugee crisis in host countries.
KFAED had offered two grants worth $38 million in 2014 and 2015 to support the Jordanian government's efforts to respond to development challenges it faces as a result of receiving Syrian refugees and support the host the communities. In addition, the Kuwaiti government had allocated $20 million, through the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS), to support Jordan's education sector.