AMMAN — The
European Investment Bank (EIB)will provide the Jordanian government with a 200-million-euro soft loan to
finance the Amman-Aqaba water conveyance and desalination project, the Jordan
News Agency, Petra, reported.
اضافة اعلان
The EIB pledged the loan at a donor conference held
earlier this year to raise funds for the Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and
Conveyance Project.
The loan will be part of the Jordanian government’s
JD250 million contribution to the project which will help pump 300 million
cubic meters of desalinated water from Aqaba to Amman and other regions in the
country.
The agreement was
signed by Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Zeina Toukan,
Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohamed Najjar, and EIB’s Vice-President
Gelsomina Vigliotti. Attending the signing ceremony was EU Ambassador to Jordan
Maria Hadjitheodosiou.
Toukan said that
the agreement ensures the project’s first source of funding, and said that
there is coordination with donors to carry out their pledges for this vital
project.
She expressed gratitude to the EIB for the funding,
reaffirmed Jordan’s “historical ties” with the institution, and highlighted the
significance of the project to the country’s water security and its overall
economic development.
Najjar said that the EIB contributes to several
projects in Jordan and has funded an environmental impact assessment study for
the project.
Vigliotti said: “Investing in water is an investment
in the future, and Jordan will be able to adapt to climate change while
ensuring environmental sustainability by utilizing renewable energy potential
to complete this ambitious project.”
She added that the successful partnership of the
Jordanian government with its international partners and the EIB will provide
funding for investments that will fundamentally transform the country’s water
sector and provide freshwater resources.
Hadjitheodosiou said that Team Europe supports global
efforts to adapt to climate change, highlighting the significance of funding
the national carrier project and the scope of support the EU has given Jordan
to help it enhance water security.
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