His Majesty King Abdullah met with notables and leading figures from the Zarqa governorate Wednesday at the Royal Hashemite Court.

Addressing the group as “my family,” King Abdullah discussed the challenges facing Zarqa, particularly problems related to the environment, services and population density.

Turning to national issues, the King said “our priority for today is to work diligently towards increasing the living standards of all Jordanian citizens.”

During the meeting, His Majesty also discussed the financial burden of Syrian refugees on Jordan, especially in the sectors of health, education, energy and public infrastructure, which is consuming 25 per cent of the national budget. In order to avoid this trend continuing in 2016, the King said “we have been speaking to the international community about this burden and the fact that our ability to sustain this burden has limits.”

The King stressed that “as we look back at 2015, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Jordanian people for their kindness, compassion and patience. Wherever I go, I am met with admiration for the Jordanian people and their ability to shoulder regional challenges.”

His Majesty pointed to a “very significant conference that will take place in the United Kingdom in early February, with the participation of several Western countries to focus on the Syrian refugee challenge in general and on helping Jordan in particular.” This donor conference will focus on improving the economy and implementing projects that will generate employment opportunities for Jordanians and some Syrian refugees.

The King urged officials to work diligently to make the conference a success, saying “there is an opportunity before us to address our problems and gain the needed assistance.”