JEDDAH: The Saudi Fund for Development and the Jordanian government signed a deal on Monday to reschedule the repayment of $114 million Jordan owes to the fund. The debt includes 19 loans which will now be settled over 20 years, with a grace period of five years. The Saudi Press Agency reported that the agreement was signed by Jordan’s Finance Minister Ezzedin Kanakriyah and SFD Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Khalid bin Sulaiman Al-Khudairy. It aims to help Jordan reduce its overall public debt. Also present at the signing ceremony were Prince Khaled bin Faisal bin Turki, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Jordan, Jordan’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Mary Kawar, and Jordanian Central Bank Governor Ziad Fariz. Another agreement was signed that will enable the Jordanian government to spend money directly on development projects financed by a Saudi Arabian grant, as part of a Gulf grant to Jordan through an account with the Central Bank of Jordan. This agreement aims to provide liquidity as quickly as possible and avoid the challenges associated with financial ceilings in the Jordanian general budget. Jordan thanked Saudi Arabia for its contribution to this Gulf grant, which is worth $1.25 billion for strategic and high-priority projects. In addition to this, Saudi Arabia has contributed to a package of aid to Jordan within the framework of the Makkah Summit, as well as supporting the Jordanian government’s development efforts to ease the burden of hosting refugees through a grant of $100 million. Prince Khaled highlighted the long-standing ties between the two countries and said that the Kingdom will continue to stand by Jordan and help support its economy. Kawar praised the strong bilateral ties between Jordan and the Kingdom, the foundations of which were laid by Saudi King Salman and Jordanian King Abdullah II. The Jordanian side expressed its thanks and appreciation to Saudi Arabia, its leadership, government and people, for their continued support.