Jordanian journalists meet with officials in the Netherlands

Jordan

Published: 2018-03-13 17:44

Last Updated: 2024-03-28 06:01


A photo from the meeting between Jordanian journalists and the Dutch Head of Parliament
 A photo from the meeting between Jordanian journalists and the Dutch Head of Parliament

A delegation of Jordanian journalists visited the Netherlands in February, prior to King Abdullah’s state visit to the Netherlands which will start on March 19, 2018.

In a meeting with the journalists, the Deputy Director of the Regional MENA Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dave van den Nieuwenhof, emphasized the importance of the state visit in enhancing cooperation, especially in light of the repercussions of the Syrian crisis and other circumstances facing Jordan.

Furthermore, Nieuwenhof expressed his appreciation for the role the kingdom plays in hosting refugees. He recognised the challenges in providing basic needs and job opportunities for both locals and refugees and reaffirmed the Netherlands’ continuous support to Jordan in regards to youth unemployment.

ِAs for trade, Nieuwenhof pointed out that although exchange between the two countries is modest, there are different possibilities for enhancement including Jordan’s chance to utilise EU’s relaxed rules on products’ country of origin.

Jordan signed an agreement with the EU in 2016 which was lauded by Jordanian officials for its lax rules that allowed non-local materials to comprise up to 70 percent of Jordanian production outputs.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the top three common sectors of interest between Netherlands and Jordan are agriculture, water and energy, and military coordination against ISIS. The ministry also shared that its stance on Trump’s US embassy relocation to Jerusalem is in accord with Jordan’s opinion on the matter.