Jordan – Visit to Jordan by Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (13 January 2019)

In both meetings, Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed major regional issues, particularly Syria and the consequences of the announced US withdrawal and the Israel-Palestine issue, matters on which we maintain close cooperation with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

These meetings were also an opportunity for the Minister to underline France’s strong commitment to its strategic partnership with Jordan. Combating terrorism, and Daesh in particular, and securing Jordan’s territory are central to this partnership.

The Minister also reiterated France’s commitment to supporting Jordan’s resilience. This commitment, which must be ambitious and commensurate with the challenges facing the Kingdom, is focused on two distinct goals: supporting the reception of refugees and long-term support for Jordan’s economy. As such, the AFD implemented a memorandum of understanding providing €900 million over the period 2016-2018 and plans to maintain a similar level of activities in the coming years.

In this respect, France is fully aware of the solidarity shown by Jordan and its population, taking in almost 700,000 Syrian refugees registered with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In the economic field, Jean-Yves Le Drian commended Jordan’s reform efforts and discussed the preparation of the London Conference, due to be held in February, in his meetings. France fully supports this initiative.