Italy ‘ready’ to further support Red-Dead project

AMMAN — Italy said on Thursday it is ready to provide a soft loan of 50 million euros “grant equivalent of 25 million euros”, and a grant of 2 million euros, to the first phase the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project.

The pledge will be confirmed once the ongoing environmental sustainability studies are completed, the Italian embassy said in a statement.

The announcement was made by Italian Ambassador to Jordan Giovanni Brauzzi at the Donors’ Pledging Conference held at the Dead Sea on Thursday. “Italy has been involved in the Red Sea-Dead Sea project since its very first phases and has partially financed its feasibility study,” the embassy said.

The decision to support the project further was taken “because of its potential as a powerful driver for the sustainable development of Jordan and its neighbours” and for the goal of safeguarding the Dead Sea from environmental degradation, “as well as for the peace and prosperity of the Middle East”, the statement added.