King Abdullah praises Jordan's progress despite challenges in 60th birthday letter

Jordan has been a “land of achievement” despite recent economic difficulties, King Abdullah II said in a letter to the nation to mark his 60th birthday on Sunday.

“Jordan has proven that it is the land of goodness, and the homeland of achievement and distinction, despite its limited resources,” King Abdullah II said in his letter.

“The march has slowed down but did not stop,” he wrote.

“I am full of pride with all what the Jordanians have done, despite the challenges and difficulties, to prove again and again that their will and awareness are stronger than the mightiest of storms.”

Jordan is experiencing an economic slowdown because of external factors as well as an internal resistance to change, he said.

The country’s economy has been sluggish for most of the past decade, falling officially into recession in 2020 before a slight rebound last year. The official unemployment rate is hovering near 24 per cent.

“Difficulties have deepened in the last few years and our region has flared with crisis that cast a shadow on us,” King Abdullah II wrote in his letter.

Along with the hosting of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled to Jordan since the 2011 revolt against President Bashar Al Assad, the monarch cited “security challenges on our border”, an apparent reference to drug rings operating from Syrian territory and other groups deemed hostile to the kingdom.

The king said foreign financial support had also reduced, leading “to the slowdown of our march, which also suffered from weakness of institutional work and foot-dragging in executing programmes and plans".

He also cited a “bureaucratic hunkering down and a closing in the face of change”, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Jordan, which has a population of 10.7 million. It is one of the largest recipients of US aid and hosts thousands of American military personnel.

The country has been a destination for refugees from other parts of the region since independence in the 1940s, starting with Palestinians, followed by Iraqis and Syrians.

“I know that you know that our reality does not rise up to the level of our ambition, and this we do not accept for our homeland,” King Abdullah II said.

The monarch said he still believed Jordanians “are able to make the bright future we want”.

He said he directed the Royal Court to gather economic specialists to come up with “a thorough vision and firm roadmap for the coming years to achieve sustained growth that guarantees the doubling of work opportunities”.

The monarch said the plan should also aim to attract foreign investment and expand the middle class in ways that “guarantee a better quality of life”.