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Jordanian officials, German businesspeople discuss cooperation, investment opportunities

By JT - Jun 22,2018 - Last updated at Jun 22,2018

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Rajai Muasher meets with a German delegation of businesspeople accompanying German Chancellor Angela Merkel on an official visit to the Kingdom in Amman on Thursday (Petra photo)

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Thursday called on Germany to enhance its support to the Kingdom to enable it to deal with the Syrian refugee influx and its various repercussions.

During a meeting with German businesspeople accompanying German Chancellor Angela Merkel, currently on an official visit to the Kingdom, Fayez highlighted the importance of developing partnerships in various investment fields between Jordan and Germany, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The Senate president reviewed the latest regional developments, especially the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis, outlining their security and economic impacts on the Kingdom.

“Despite the crises and challenges surrounding Jordan, the Kingdom is still strong at the political and security levels, but it faces economic difficulties due to border closure with Syria and Iraq, which negatively affected the flow of exports,” he stated.

Fayez noted that Jordan’s hosting of Syrian refugees since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis until the end of 2017 has cost the Kingdom a total of $10.3 billion, which constitutes a big economic burden on the Kingdom.

He highlighted the importance of increasing joint investments, calling on German businesspeople to benefit from investment opportunities in Jordan, especially in the public transport, renewable energy, mining industries and the ICT sector.

For their part, the German businesspeople commended the Kingdom’s efforts in seeking to end regional conflicts and restoring peace, praising its humanitarian role towards refugees by providing them with the necessary services. 

Also on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State Rajai Muasher met with the delegates over economic and trade relations between Amman and Berlin.

Muasher expressed the Kingdom’s appreciation for the German assistance to Jordan, as Germany has become among the biggest supporters to the development process through contributing to the implementation of several projects in the water, energy, education and infrastructure sectors, Petra reported.

He also stressed that Jordan, thanks to its geographical location and qualified human resources, can be a hub for countries and companies willing to participate in the reconstruction of Syria and Iraq.

In another meeting with the German delegates, Minister of State for Investment Affairs Muhannad Shehadeh considered benefiting from the German expertise in the technical services sector and restructuring export agreements with Europe as one of the government’s priorities to enhance economic cooperation with Germany. 

During the meeting, which was organised by the Amman Chamber of Industry (ACI) and saw the participation of industrialists from both countries, Shehadeh noted that achievements made by German companies operating in the Kingdom and benefiting from the Jordanian human resources constitute success stories, Petra reported. 

Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Tareq Hammouri said that Jordan and Germany represent a story for successful relations between a top international economic power and a developing economy, calling on Germany to present logistic assistance to develop the small- and medium-size enterprise sector.

Energy Minister Hala Zawati stressed that the Kingdom has investment opportunities in the alternative energy sector and that the government has many plans to take advantage of renewable energy resources.

Ulrich Nussbaum, head of the German chambers of industry and trade, said that Jordan and Germany have the best base to enter new markets through transferring the German expertise to the Jordanian youth, stressing that the role of the German private sector lies in attracting German companies to invest in Jordan.

Meanwhile, German MPs on Thursday checked on the services presented to refugees by Caritas Jordan. 

The delegates, who represent several political parties in the German Bundestag tasked with approving support to refugees through different international organisations, focused on listening to the true needs of refugees, Petra reported. 

The “Deutscher Caritasverband” (German Caritas Association) was founded in 1897 in Freiburg, according to Petra, noting that Jordan’s branch was established in 1967.

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