Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh Monday met with a US congressional delegation of the Republican Party, and stressed the strategic Jordanian-US relations. He valued US support to the Kingdom, which contributes to the implementation of many development and service projects. During the meeting, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Public Sector Modernization Nasser Shraideh, Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar, Minister of Investment Kholoud Saqqaf and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zina Toukan, Khasawneh commended “the positive” role of the US Congress in supporting Jordan and its developmental efforts. The Prime Minister gave a briefing on the comprehensive modernization program Jordan is implementing in political, economic and administrative fields. In the political sphere, legislation on political modernization, including the parties law, the election law and relevant constitutional amendments, was finalized with the aim of supporting political and partisan work in the Kingdom, empowering women and youth, and promoting their role in the decision-making process, he said. The Prime Minister also reviewed key features of the executive program of the Economic Vision 2023-2025 and the importance of the public sector modernization roadmap as a lever of comprehensive modernization and reinvigorating the public sector to empower the private sectors. He said that despite challenges posed by three years of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine-Russia crisis, the macro economy has achieved good indicators, according to global rating institutions. Khasawneh stressed that the monetary policy adopted by the Central Bank of Jordan contributed positively to maintaining the stability of the dinar’s exchange rate and “acceptable” inflation levels, pointing to “unprecedented” currency reserves of about $17 billion. The Premier referred to cooperation initiatives Jordan is keen to implement with a number of regional countries, including a four-party industrial partnership with the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, as well as tripartite cooperation between Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. He also said Jordan endeavors to become a regional energy hub, noting that about 30 percent of the energy Jordan currently uses is solar and wind energy. However, he pointed out, Jordan still reels under the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis due to insufficient aid from the international community to help it bear the burdens and costs of hosting the refugees and providing them with basic services. The Prime Minister also reviewed latest developments in the regional situation, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue, stressing that the Palestinian cause is the central issue in the Middle East, and that international efforts should be enhanced to reach a just and lasting peace. He spoke about efforts made by Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II to achieve security, stability and calm in the occupied Palestinian territories, reiterating Jordan’s rejection of provocative acts by a member of the Israeli government, who used a map of Israel that includes parts of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the occupied Palestinian territories. He also said the Kingdom rejects recurrent violations and provocations by the Israeli occupation forces at Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Haram Al-Sharif holy compound. For their part, members of the US delegation emphasized the strategic partnership between the United States and Jordan. They praised the Kingdom’s approach in dealing with regional challenges and noted reforms being carried out in various fields.
Source: Jordan News Agency