CAIRO — Egypt said Wednesday that increasing cooperation with Jordan was of vital importance.
Speaking to Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said Jordanian-Egyptian relations are deeply rooted, adding that these relations are based on brotherly ties.
Judeh was in Egypt to deliver a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to Morsi, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
In the letter, the King congratulated Morsi again on the confidence that the Egyptian people have placed in him, wishing him success in leading Egypt through the current stage.
His Majesty also expressed his keenness to strengthen ties with Egypt in the best interest of both countries and Arab and Islamic interests, adding that he looked forward to meeting with Morsi soon to examine issues of mutual interest and regional developments.
During his meeting with Judeh, Morsi said he agrees with the King that the Palestinian cause is the central issue in the region, Petra reported.
The talks focused on economic relations, especially the flow of Egyptian natural gas into the Kingdom. The Egyptian president pledged to give the matter his full attention due to its direct effects on the Kingdom’s energy sector.
Talks also focused on the escalating violence in Syria and means to resolve the crisis in a way that ends the bloodshed, fulfils the aspirations of all Syrians and maintains the independence and sovereignty of Syria.
Judeh highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to provide services for Syrian refugees, whose number has exceeded 140,000.
The minister underlined His Majesty’s directives to continue providing all the required assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan out of a “brotherly duty”, stressing that the Kingdom carries a heavy burden in the fields of energy, healthcare and education, Petra reported.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Judeh said Jordan has taken precautions in case chemical weapons are used in Syria, Reuters reported.
The Syrian government acknowledged on Monday that the country had chemical weapons. It said it could use them against any foreign forces that intervened.
Asked about Jordan’s preparations if such a scenario unfolded in neighbour Syria, Judeh said: “Jordan does not interfere in the internal affairs [of nations] but we have taken all precautions to protect our nation’s safety and national security.”
He declined to give further details, adding that talk of Syria’s use of chemical weapons was “still only hypothetical until now and is not a reality”, Reuters reported.
Judeh also met with his Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Kamel Amr and held talks on bilateral ties and the Syrian crisis, according to Petra.
Amr expressed his country’s readiness to provide assistance to Jordan as it hosts displaced Syrians within a framework that will be agreed on within the coming days according to Jordan’s needs.
Talks also focused on ways to resume Middle East peace negotiations to reach the two-state solution.
