AMMAN, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Tuesday urged the international community to support its appeal for 7 billion U.S. dollars from 2018-2020 in funding to help tackle the Syrian refugee crisis in the kingdom.
At a meeting with Swedish Immigration Minister Helene Fritzon, Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury urged donor countries to support the appeal, which Jordan will officially launch next week.
As a result of the prolonged civil war in Syria, there are now more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees living in Jordan, placing a heavy financial burden on the kingdom.
Fakhoury called on donor countries to extend grants, including soft loans, to Jordan to finance its operations of helping the Syrian refugees in the next three years.
Highlighting that Jordan's economy is facing several economic challenges, the minister said the exodus of a large number of Syrian refugees has increased the pressure on the Kingdom.
He called for sustained support to Jordan at all fronts to address the challenges, citing that the refugee issue threatens its stability and security.
For his part, Fritzon voiced appreciation to Jordan for hosting a large number of Syrian refugees.
She also pledged that Sweden will continue to support Jordan to help cope with the challenges.
