Mulki thanks Germany for support, aid

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Wednesday voiced the Kingdom’s appreciation of Germany’s support during a meeting with German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller. 

Germany has pledged to provide further assistance to Jordan, in light of the Kingdom’s role in hosting some 650,000 registered Syrian refugees, said Muller, according to a statement from the German embassy in Amman.

Germany on Monday approved 272.7 million euros in financial support to Jordan for 2016, and Muller said the aid would help the Kingdom cope with the challenges stemming from the refugee crisis.  

Mulki said Jordan looks forward to the international community following through on pledges to support the Kingdom made at the London donor conference in February, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The most significant outcome of the conference was the deal to ease the rules of origin for Jordanian exports to Europe, said Mulki, noting that the agreement had helped to attract foreign investments.  

Some of Germany’s aid, in grants and soft loans, will be directed to the water and wastewater sectors, especially since Jordan is among the poorest countries in water resources and faces increasing water demand due to the refugee influx, Muller said, according to the embassy statement.

Germany will also exert more efforts in the vocational training field, he said, adding that he attended a ceremony to launch workshops in plumbing and solar heating at the Yajouz Vocational Training Institute.

Mulki said potential investments require training workers to manage and run them, stressing that Jordan hoped to learn from Germany’s experience in vocational training. 

The prime minister said that through Germany’s technical support, Jordan hopes to establish a centre specialised in vocational training.

He also highlighted economic challenges facing the Kingdom in light of the influx of Syrian refugees, noting that aid provided to Jordan does not cover 35 per cent of the hosting costs.

Jordan is unable to bear any additional burdens and cannot allow further refugees to enter except in “humanitarian cases”, he continued.  

The government’s top priorities in the upcoming period focus on development and creating job opportunities to stimulate the economy and improve Jordanians’ living conditions, Mulki explained. 

For his part, Muller that Germany will continue to stand by Jordan in the face of crises.

Later on Wednesday, Public Housing Minister Sami Halaseh accompanied the German official on a visit to Bani Kinanah District in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, to check on construction work on the Ain Saeed road, Petra reported.