His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday underlined Jordan’s complete readiness to deal with any regional developments that may pose a threat to the Kingdom’s security and stability.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, King Abdullah said: “I want all Jordanians to rest assured that their country is strong enough and has taken all the precautions to defend its people, borders and territories.”

“We in Jordan are safe and in a very strong position. There is constant coordination and cooperation between the government and the army to defend Jordan’s borders and its internal security. We are keeping an eye on the regional developments and have nothing to fear.”

His Majesty also urged officials to go to the field in order to better assess and understand citizens’ needs and problems. 

Addressing the Council of Ministers, the King said: “It is your responsibility to ensure abundance of foodstuff in the local market at affordable prices before, during and after the holy month of Ramadan. You have to check on the readiness of the civil and military consumer corporations. It is important to intensify monitoring over the local markets to ensure affordability of prices and safety of food items.”

His Majesty also stressed the importance of maintaining quality services to citizens, especially in Irbid and Mafraq, although there is pressure placed on the services and infrastructure sectors by the non-stop influx of Syrian refugees.

The King emphasised the importance of enhancing the rule of law, saying that law should be enforced for all with no discrimination. “Enforcing the law has been the basic demand I have been hearing from citizens during my visits to their regions over the past six months. The rule of law is a red line. No one is above the law or the state.”

“As I have heard from citizens and as you hear from me today: We will not be lenient with those who try to destabilise Jordan, be they from inside or outside,” His Majesty said.

The King also called on the government to improve the performance of public administration, saying that all national plans should be linked to time frames, and have measurement and assessment criteria.

His Majesty also stressed the importance of including mechanisms and tools to enhance genuine partnerships with all sectors in the government’s economic plans.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour presented a briefing on recent projects the government is implementing in response to Royal directives.

Many ministers who attended the meeting outlined current plans and projects their ministries are implementing to provide services to citizens and deal with issues and challenges citizens face.