Jordan’s armed forces on Tuesday (September 19th) signed a $6.3 million agreement with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to strengthen security and provide humanitarian assistance on the border with Syria, the Jordanian news agency, Petra, reported.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mahmoud Freihat said the partnership with the EU and the UN through the IOM is essential to allow the Jordanian Armed Forces to continue assisting Syrian refugees across the borders.
Freihat stressed Jordan's efforts to enhance co-operation with the EU and UN in order to reduce pressure on infrastructure and human resources on the Jordanian-Syrian border.
IOM's Chief of Mission Enrico Ponziani stressed the need to maintain balance between humanitarian aid and security, and commended Jordan’s commitment to international humanitarian principles.
EU Ambassador in Amman Andrea Matteo Fontana stressed the bloc's commitment to supporting the Jordanian Armed Forces in efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees on the border.
According to a joint press release, the agreement will provide technical support to the Jordanian authorities to build border posts capable of responding quickly to the humanitarian and security challenges on the north-eastern borders.
As part of the agreement, capacity-building exercises and dialogue sessions will be held to discuss immediate and long-term challenges.
