Germany has provided 577 million euros in aid to Jordan, to fund development projects and help support Syrian refugees in 2017.

The annual Jordanian-German development cooperation talks took place on Tuesday, attended by Imad Fakhoury, the Planning and International Cooperation Minister, and the Ambassador of Germany in Amman, Birgitta Siefker-Eberle, along with the German delegation.

Fakhoury said Germany has been increasing its support to the Kingdom over the years, adding that the new agreed upon financial aid includes grants, technical support, soft loans to fund priority development projects, and grants to support the Syrian refugees.

“The increase in support by Germany reflects its strong commitment to continue assisting the Kingdom at these difficult times and also reflects Germany’s understanding of the fiscal, economic and security challenges facing Jordan,” Fakhoury said at a press conference.

Germany’s support to the Kingdom “reached a high record” this year, said Christine Toetzke, head of the Middle East division of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and head of the German delegation to Jordan.

The support will cover the sectors of the water supply and sanitation, energy efficiency in the water sector and improved groundwater resource management, Toetzke noted.

She added that it will also include the construction of new schools and funding for the vocational training system in Jordan.

A number of agreements on the development aid cooperation were signed at the end of the meeting, making Germany the second largest donor country for Jordan in 2017.