Netherlands working to help Jordan navigate refugee crisis — ambassador

AMMAN — Jordan and The Netherlands are of the same opinion that the Syrian crisis can only be resolved through a comprehensive political solution, Dutch Ambassador to Amman Paul van den IJssel said on Tuesday.

During a meeting with journalists, on the occasion of the Netherlands "King's Day", Van den IJssel said his country shares with Jordan the conviction that radicalisation and terrorism are not to be addressed using only military and security tools but also through ideological, cultural and educational approaches.

The ambassador added that the Netherlands is "fully aware" of Jordan's woes resulting from hosting a large number of Syrian refugees, and has been working with international organisations on alleviating the pressure on the Kingdom's infrastructure, budget and key sectors. 

Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, Van den IJssel said the Netherlands has extended around 400 million euros in humanitarian assistance to refugees and host countries. "In 2015, 41.5 million euros was extended to refugee-burdened Jordan through the UN agencies."

"For 2016, we promised 110 million euros for the region during the London conference. We shifted to long-term projects that are beneficial to Syrians and Jordanians as well."

Van den IJssel also said that all the Dutch assistance to host countries, including Jordan, goes through UN agencies. 

Describing Jordan as a "key EU partner", the ambassador noted that several Dutch companies are operating in the Kingdom in agriculture, water, renewable energy, logistics, recycling and industry sectors.

The Dutch companies active in Jordan, according to the ambassador, are: Shell (shale oil), Heineken (Amstel factory), Solvochem (chemicals), Ooms (high profile asphalt), Unilever (consumer goods), FrieslandCampia (dairy products) and Bakker Brothers (Seeds).

Commenting on Dutch-Jordanian water cooperation, Van den IJssel said, that despite the fact that the Netherlands' problem is "too much water" and Jordan's is the "severe water scarcity", "we want to help”.

"We are very much interested in the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project," he elaborated.

The ambassador stressed that the Dutch government and embassy in Jordan work closely with civil society and NGOs in fields related to women empowerment, political participation, human rights, gender equality and religious tolerance.  

King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands celebrates his birthday on King’s Day, April 27. The day is a public holiday, and people nationwide join in the festivities.

April 27, 2014 was a special King’s Day in the Netherlands as it was the first since 1890, as it is the first time the Dutch are ruled by a man.
King Willem Alexander ascended to the throne in 2013 as the first male monarch from the Netherlands’ ruling House of Orange when his mother abdicated, according to the embassy.
Marked on April 27, King’s Day replaces the traditional “Queen’s Day”.