Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina discuss cooperation, anti-terror drive

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah’s talks with Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic on Wednesday focused on means to enhance ties between the two countries, as well as the latest developments in the region.

During expanded talks, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, which were preceded by a bilateral meeting that was attended by HRH Prince Hashem, the chief chamberlain, the two sides stressed the importance of boosting bilateral cooperation in the economic, investment, tourism and military fields, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah highlighted the importance of strengthening friendly relations between Jordan and Bosnia and Herzegovina and building on these relations to serve the interests of both countries.

His Majesty outlined Jordan’s counter-terrorism efforts, highlighting the “Aqaba Meetings” that aim to boost security and military coordination and cooperation and the exchange of expertise and intelligence among all regional and international parties to fight terrorism within a holistic approach.

Hosted by Jordan in the Red Sea port city, the Aqaba meetings, known as Aqaba Process, are an initiative launched by His Majesty King Abdullah in 2015 to bolster security and military cooperation, coordination and exchange of expertise among regional and international partners to counter terrorism and its threat to global peace and security within a holistic approach that addresses the military, security and ideological aspects of the issue, which, the King has repeatedly stressed, is not confined to this part of the world. 

Over the past three years, the Aqaba Meetings featured discussions held by the King with heads and representatives of a number of countries in east Africa, southeast Asia and the Balkans.

During yesterday’s meeting, the King also went through available opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of fields, adding that he was looking forward to fruitful talks with the Bosnian side.

For his part, Izetbegovic voiced his keenness to enhance cooperation with Jordan, as well as his appreciation for the Jordanian role and its historical stances on achieving security and stability in the region and worldwide.

He also praised Kingdom’s role in hosting refugees and providing them with all possible assistance

The chairman commended Amman’s efforts in preserving security and peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He noted that Jordan helped the country during the time of war, and supported his country to preserve the Mostar Bridge and enlist it on the World Heritage List.

Izetbegovic added that the Kingdom also helped build “the most beautiful” mosque in Sarajevo.

On the threat of extremist ideologies, he said that Bosnia and Herzegovina was affected by such ideologies, expressing shock, as a Muslim, of actions perpetrated by terrorists “who pretend to be Muslims”.

The Palestinian issue was also on the meeting’s agenda, with His Majesty reaffirming that the region would never enjoy peace and stability unless a just and permanent solution is found to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

The envisioned solution, King Abdullah stressed, must be based on the two-state formula that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 lines and East Jerusalem as its capital.

On the war against terrorism, the King and Izetbegovic emphasised the need to intensify international efforts to counter terrorism as it threatens global peace and security.

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz, Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and the delegation accompanying Izetbegovic attended the meeting, along with other senior officials.