Ensour: Jordan able to build foundations for economic growth

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said that Jordan has been successful in preserving the stability of the Kingdom for several decades now and has built solid foundations for economic growth. In remarks made at the opening of the Jordanian-Kurdish Investment Forum in Amman, Ensour said the Kingdom dealt with regional crises in a wise manner that enabled it to establish good relations with neighboring countries and helped it emerge as a regional center for investors and businessmen. “The national economy has been able, thanks to the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II, to achieve many accomplishments and managed to absorb shocks,” he said, adding that this provided a fertile investment environment for investors from around the world. At the forum, organized by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Federation of the Chambers of Industry and Trade of the Kurdistan region, Ensour highlighted Jordan’s efforts to integrate into the world economy, adding that the government implemented the economic reforms to improve the investment climate in the Kingdom. Jordan, he said, signed free trade agreements that facilitated its products to reach the markets of North America, Europe, Canada, Turkey and eastern Asia, noting that the Kingdom was also able to attract investments that accounted for 27 percent of its Gross Domestic Product during 2000-2012. Referring to trade and economic ties between Jordan and Iraq, the prime minister said trade between the two countries stood at $1.26 billion last year. Exports to Iraq reached $1 billion in 2012 while imports amounted to $268 million. Ensour said Jordan was keen to further increase cooperation with its neighbouring country and establish economic, trade and cultural partnerships. President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Nael Kabariti, voiced the hope that Jordanian products, particularly medicine and medical supplies, will reach Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Jordan, he said, enjoyed a good reputation in the field of investment, noting that the Kingdom provided an attractive environment for businessmen from Kurdistan. Chairman of the Federation of the Chambers of Industry and Trade in the Kurdistan region, Dara Jalil Khayyat, said that the Kurdistan region welcomed economic, trade and investment cooperation with Jordan and was interested in establishing trade partnerships with Jordanian businessmen.