Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh praised the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) staff and others for contributing to Jordan's achievement with Standard & Poor's credit rating agency raising the sovereign credit rating of the Kingdom for the first time in 21 years.

During a Cabinet session, Khasawneh said, "This achievement enhances the high credibility that the Kingdom enjoys due to the great status and high credibility His Majesty King Abdullah II has at the regional and international levels and due to the Kingdom's prudent financial and monetary policies."

Khasawneh thanked the Finance Minister, the Governor of the CBJ and the teams of the relevant ministries for their work, which also resulted in raising the Kingdom's sovereign credit rating by Moody's a few months ago.

He added that Jordan's rating achievements came as international rating agencies lowered the credit ratings of most similar, non-productive, oil-exporting economies.

Khasawneh said, "We were able, thanks to God Almighty and the wise and committed leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, supported by His Highness Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Crown Prince, to preserve the middle class and also maintain these low rates of inflation despite the successive exceptional events that swept the world and the region."

Khasawneh said his government put several major strategic projects that provide water security for Jordan and Jordanians and a great deal of self-reliance on water resources on the right track.

He said "Meridiam Suez" was announced as a "preferred" bidder for the water project after the Company's updated offer met the technical and financial qualification requirements and passed the minimum technical mark required by the terms of reference, adding that the project, slated to be operational in 2029, will provide 300 million cubic meters of water annually.

He discussed documents related to establishing a railway line with the United Arab Emirates worth USD 2.3 billion.

He added that the railway project is part of an investment package that was announced in November 2023 and signed in Abu Dhabi with a total value of USD 5.5 billion in the presence of His Majesty King Abdullah II and UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, noting that some of the projects will see the light in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, in addition to sectors related to infrastructure and the transportation sector.

He added that the government is in touch with UAE officials to revive the idea of ??the dry port in Ma'an to be based on the project, the documents of which were signed in Aqaba last week.

Khasawneh said Jordan is moving steadily and confidently towards achieving the goals of the comprehensive modernisation programme with its three political, economic and administrative tracks, noting that the political track will witness the first practical station on Tuesday through holding parliamentary elections.

Khasawneh urges Jordanians to cast their vote in the parliamentary elections. "Voting is not only a right. It falls within the context of duty to bring about the required and desired change," calling on younger Jordanians to have a greater turnout than before.