His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed on Thursday that Jordan is continuing its efforts and programs to achieve sustainable economic and social development as well as enhancing its competitive capabilities to join the world economy with confidence. "The current situation in the region will not prevent us from achieving this goal and fulfill aspirations of the Jordanian youths," he said.

His Majesty who patronized deliberations of the Jordan Investment Forum in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, presented the major accomplishments that Jordan has achieved over the past three years.

The Forum is organized by the Arab-Swiss Chamber of Trade and is expected to bring together 240 businessmen from Jordan, Switzerland and Europe.

King Abdullah also touched on the investment opportunities available for the Swiss and Europeans, in addition to the agreements that Jordan has signed with various world countries. " The sectors of tourism, IT, pharmaceutical, media and mineral industries such as Potash and phosphate have expanded and witnessed a big growth over the past years ," he said.

The King affirmed Jordan's commitment to "accelerate reforms, increase productivity and improve economic performance with a view to improve citizens' standards of living and guarantee a better future for youths," His majesty said.

He said that the government launched the economic and social transformation program in order to stimulate private sector investments and create employment opportunities that will reflect on citizens in all parts of the Kingdom. "The program will enable the economy to absorb more capital from the private sector through providing relevant investment climate and continuing the privatization programs," King Abdullah said.

The President and the secretary general of the Arab-Swiss Chamber of Trade also spoke during the opening session in which they expressed thanks and appreciation for Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania for their presence and interest in the forum. They also praised the development Jordan has achieved in all fields despite the difficult circumstances in the region.

His Majesty later met on the sidelines of the forum with representatives of Arab and European chambers of industry and trade during which he high valued their participation in the forum.

King Abdullah noted the importance of Jordan as a promising market for partnership between the public and private sectors for the purpose of investment in light of the investment opportunities available. " The forum forms an ideal platform to affirm Jordan's commitment to the economic reform process and the importance of the Kingdom in terms of available investment opportunities," he said.

During a meeting with Director general of the World Intellectual Property Rights Organization, the King spoke of the laws and legislations that Jordan has enacted to guarantee a positive investment climate through modernizing intellectual property laws and the law of companies.