(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Imad Fakhoury, on Sunday, met with Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Lenita Toivakka and discussed challenges facing Jordan as a result of the Syrian refugee crisis and the kingdom's needs.
Fakhoury highlighted Jordan's key role in hosting a large number of Syrian refugees on its territory, pointing out that refugee crisis cost will multiply in the future, if the international community doesn't meet its obligations.
He added that Jordan's national response plan to the Syrian crisis amounted to $2.99 billion in 2015, about 35 percent of which was secured.
Fakhoury made it clear that hosting and providing basic services to such a massive number of refugees widened budget deficit and sent public debt soaring, with an estimated direct and indirect costs which Jordan has incurred since 2011 at about $6.6 billion.
The Finnish minister underlined Jordan's pivotal role and called extending additional support and assistance to the Kingdom to help it grapple with this enormous burden.
She also noted that the Finnish government will increase official development assistance to Jordan, to enable it to maintain its developmental gains, and to continue providing services to Syrian refugees.
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