Khaberni - The European Union Ambassador to Jordan, Pierre Christophe Chatzisavas, said on Wednesday that Jordan has demonstrated exceptional flexibility during the Gaza and Iran wars, indicating that this is a positive story to tell to European investors.
The European official expressed hope that the national carrier project would start very soon.
In statements to "Al-Mamlaka" channel on the sidelines of the economic forum for diplomatic missions in Jordan, which was held in the capital Amman, he said: "The partnership with Jordan is excellent, and it has always been a friendship and a distinguished alliance. However, looking towards the future, we want to further enhance this relationship. In times of crisis, whether it was the war in Gaza or the war with Iran, Jordan has proven exceptional flexibility. This is a clear advantage and a positive story we tell to European investors."
He continued, "Over the coming months, we intend to hold a major event, the Jordanian-European Investment Conference, which is likely to take place before the end of this year. We aim to maximize European participation, as we would like to offer the Jordanian government the opportunity to meet and interact with our investors, and to clarify how the Jordanian government provides a safe and favorable environment for conducting business in Jordan, and how European investors can benefit from this environment to conduct their businesses in Jordan and from there to the rest of the region."
He added: "The European Union has a long history of partnership and cooperation with Jordan, so the current cooperation portfolio covers a very wide range of activities; from social affairs to education, health, culture, and response to the Syrian refugee crisis. But when it comes to trade and investment, there are three prominent sectors: water, energy, and the digital sector."
National Carrier
He continued: "In the coming months, there will be major announcements; for instance, regarding water, we would like to see the national water carrier project come to light, and we want construction to begin in June or July. This means that the financial agreement should be concluded within weeks, so we hope that this massive project will start very soon. It has been a long process, because for any country, a project of this size and ambition will generate many years of public discussion and feasibility studies, as was the case in Jordan."
He explained that "the massive project (national carrier) is nearing the finish line. It also illustrates how the European Union and Jordan can work together in the future; to support this project, we will not only provide a huge grant, but we will provide grants to finance concessional loans for Jordan. We will use what we call 'blended financing', i.e., combining grants and concessional loans. And the level of support from the European Union as an institution, the European Investment Bank, and Team Europe (which includes member states) will be very large. This is the major project we want to launch this year."
Speaking about energy, the European official said: "We have great ambitions in the field of energy, especially in producing green hydrogen. The current commodity price crisis shows how important it is to transition to renewable energy, and Jordan has clear assets here, whether in producing solar energy or wind energy, and also for the European market with regard to green hydrogen. There are a number of very serious projects underway with beneficiaries in Europe, which are viable and profitable projects, and we would like to move forward with them."
Regional Center
As for the digital sector and telecommunications, the European official said: "Jordan once again plays an important role as a regional center thanks to its geographical location. Aqaba is a pivotal center, and the Aqaba Digital Center is an excellent example of what we can do together in Jordan."
The European official confirmed that "the big geopolitical goal is to ensure that Jordan becomes a crossroads and a center for our trade relations between the European Union and Asia, the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, and India."
He recalled the old trade route in the days of the Nabateans, which linked the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea through Jordan and Gaza as a port on the Mediterranean.
"In fact, this route has never stopped, and it has always linked between India and the European Union. The biggest challenge in the 21st century will be to renew and revitalize this route, ensuring that countries like Jordan - which are geographically located on this route - maximize their benefit from it for their own manufacturing, value chains, and industrial transformation, and not just be a transit country. This is the big challenge, and it will keep us busy in the coming years."
