Al-Ississ comments on gov’t actions to soften economic blow of virus crisis in Kingdom

AMMAN — The only way to navigate the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis on Jordan is through the government being open and transparent with the public, Minister of Finance Mohamad Al-Ississ said on Friday.

In an interview with Jordan TV, Al-Ississ said that the Jordanian economy is the first regional economy to reopen its doors, highlighting “the region’s intense thirst for Jordanian products", the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Thanks to His Majesty King Abdullah’s efforts, international grants and assistance packages have been signed with the Kingdom, which will help the economy  overcome COVID-19’s consequences and recover at the "fastest pace", he said.

Jordan is committed to all of its domestic and foreign obligations, Al-Ississ stressed, noting that the government will pay May salaries for public sector employees before Eid Al Fitr.

He pointed to the scarcity of global financing sources related to global bond markets, which have stopped, while all financial agreements and joint loans with international institutions are still in place and have been confirmed by these entities.

"What causes concern is that the global economic situation is unclear, which pushes the government to provide liquidity through borrowing to face the COVID-19 crisis," the minister said.