King meets UK defence college delegates, executives of Pakistani defence firms, Alibaba co-founder

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday at Al Husseiniya Palace, met with a delegation from the British Royal College for Defence Studies, which included military officers from 12 countries participating in the college's programmes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, which was attended by HRH Prince Feisal, the current regional developments were discussed, particularly the Mideast peace process.

His Majesty stressed the need to scale up efforts to relaunch negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, on the basis of a two-state solution, ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. His Majesty also stressed that the Jerusalem issue must be settled within the framework of the final solution to the conflict.

The conversation touched on the Syrian crisis. His Majesty stressed the need to support efforts aimed at reaching a political solution within the guidelines of the Geneva process and the importance of maintaining the de-escalation zone in southwestern Syria, which was reached last year after the tripartite agreement between Jordan, the United States and Russia.

The burdens borne by Jordan due to the Syrian refugees’ crisis and the pressures placed on the Jordanian economy and the service sectors, especially in the host communities, were reviewed during the meeting.

Regional and international efforts related to the war on terrorism were also reviewed as part of a holistic approach.

The meeting was attended by the adviser to His Majesty King Abdullah, Director of the King’s Office Manar Dabbas and the British Ambassador in Amman Edward Oakden.

Also on Monday, His Majesty met with the Chairman of the Pakistani Heavy Industries Taxila Group Mohammad Naim Ashraf, and the Chairman of the Pakistani Military Equipment Factories Lt. Gen. Sadiq Ali.

During the meeting, the King reviewed with the Pakistani delegation mechanisms of enhancing military cooperation between Jordan and Pakistan and opportunities for exchanging experiences in the development of military and defence industries.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff, the adviser to His Majesty King Abdullah, director of the King’s Office, and the Pakistani ambassador in Amman.

In a separate meeting, the Monarch, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, held talks with Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma, who is visiting Jordan as part of the regional tour.

The talks covered Jordan’s features as an investment destination, including the strategic location and the free trade agreements it has signed with major markets, in addition to the competent human resources, especially in the field of communication and information technology.