King to start Singapore, Indonesia tour Sunday

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah will start an official visit to Singapore and Indonesia Sunday, during which he will hold talks with senior officials from both countries that focus on economic ties and regional developments. 

The visit aims at boosting coordination with the two Asian countries and build joint stands towards regional and international issues, particularly as Jordan has won a UN Security Council seat representing Arab Asia and the Far East, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The Jordanian side also seeks to explore new opportunities for economic cooperation to strengthen the trade volume and religious tourism to the Kingdom. 

King Abdullah is scheduled to hold talks with Singapore President Tony Tan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that cover bilateral ties and prospects for further cooperation. 

The Monarch will also meet with Singaporean academic and intellectual figures to acquaint them with the Kingdom’s stances vis-à-vis global and regional issues, in addition to meeting economic delegates from the public and private sectors. 

From Singapore, the King will head for Jakarta, where he will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and discuss ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation. 

He will also hold meetings with economic figures to discuss prospects of economic, trade and investment partnerships between Jordan and Indonesia. 

Meanwhile, King Abdullah will deliver a speech at the Nahdlatul Ulama Interfaith Conference: “Islam for Peace and Civilisation”.

In the speech, he will highlight Islam’s role in bringing renaissance through its concepts that are based on equality and justice, in addition to the Kingdom’s efforts in clarifying the true nature of Islam through the Amman Message and the Common Word initiatives. 

Several scholars, intellectual and religious figures will take part in the conference, organised by the Nahdlatul Ulama (revival of religious scholars) society, which is the largest official Islamic society worldwide, according to the statement.