Kingdom's reserves of all basic items 'safe and perfect', shipment of goods into Jordan 'uninterrupted' — Khasawneh

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday said that the meetings he held last week at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos showed that the comprehensive reform project at the political, economic and administrative levels received the appreciation of various international institutions. 

Chairing a Cabinet meeting, Khasawneh said that the meetings also reflected international appreciation for the positions of Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, against the Israeli aggression on Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The prime minister stressed that all people he met at WEF are "aware of the consequences of the brutal Israeli aggression on Gaza" and commended the Kingdom's stances that call for an immediate halt of this war and the delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance and fuel into the besieged enclave.

He also said all the meetings he had in Davos supported the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The premier referred to his meeting with Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, who praised the financial and monetary performance and policies of the Kingdom and expressed the admiration of the IMF and other international financial institutions and donors in the structural reform procedures that protected the middle class in Jordan. 

Khasawneh also said that Georgieva commended the monetary performance of the Central Bank of Jordan that managed to reach strategic reserves of $18.2 billion, which is a "record" figure that can cover the Kingdom's exports for long months.

The prime minister also said that there is a "big" interest in investing in Jordan, citing the international admiration of the general performance of the Kingdom's economy in the first third quarters of 2023.

Khasawneh also referred to a decision to urge the Jordan Silos and Supply General Company to provide reasonable prices for private sector companies importing basic items to ensure limiting inflationary impacts on citizens.

The decision is aimed to avoid the hikes on shipment costs that increased by 160 to 180 per cent for cargo coming from southeast Asia and China and by 60 to 100 per cent for cargo coming from Europe and the US, he said.

The prime minister stressed that reserves of all basic items are "safe and perfect", and that the delivery of goods into the Kingdom is "smooth", with some delays resulting from taking alternative routes by shipping companies.

 Khasawneh reiterated that the performance of the national economy over the past two years until the fourth quarter of 2023 was positive, adding that the Kingdom has recovered from negative growth rates and reached rates close to 2.8 per cent.