Jordan to host conference on rebuilding countries affected by conflicts

AMMAN — Jordan is scheduled to host an Arab forum in August on the reconstruction of Arab countries affected by conflicts, Jordan Free and Development Zones Group Chairman Khalaf Hmeisat announced on Tuesday. 

During a press conference, Hmeisat said that the forum aims to find new opportunities for Jordanian and Arab businesspeople and investors in the commercial and economic sectors, and to address obstacles related to competitiveness in the reconstruction of conflict-hit countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Hmeisat, who is also chairman of the Arab Union of Free Zones (AUFZ), said that the Kingdom’s location at the centre of the Middle East gives it an advanced status to contribute to the reconstruction projects in the region.

AUFZ Secretary General Mahmoud Qteishat said that the event would address several issues related to the important role of Arab states and Islamic sovereign funds in financing the reconstruction projects.

In June, the Jordanian Construction Contractors Association announced on its website the list of reconstruction and investment projects in Iraq at a value of $46 billion.

The association’s president, Ahmed Yacoub, said that conditions “are ripe” for Jordanian and Iraqi contractors to set up partnerships and reap the benefits of the available reconstruction projects.