Safadi, Singapore’s president discuss cooperation

AMMAN — Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob on Thursday received Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

Safadi conveyed to the Singaporean president a verbal message from His Majesty King Abdullah, which stressed the great interest the Kingdom attaches to its relations with Singapore, and its keenness to explore broader prospects in various fields.

The Singaporean president stressed that Singapore looks towards broader cooperation with the Kingdom and commends Jordan’s great role under His Majesty’s leadership in establishing security and stability, and promoting a culture of peace and moderation and respecting the other, according to the statement.

Safadi also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of Environment and Water Resources and Minister-In-Charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli.

The Singaporean president and ministers affirmed their appreciation for the existing cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism and praised the Kingdom’s pivotal role in combating the dark ideologies of terrorism and promoting the values of moderation and tolerance.

The Singaporean president and ministers stressed the importance of the Jordan-organised “Aqaba meetings”, which Singapore is taking part in, to institutionalise holistic, international and collective efforts to fight terrorism and extremism.

During the meetings, both sides stressed the joint keenness to enhance trade, investment, tourism and cultural cooperation between the two countries, which signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in 2004, rendering the Kingdom as the only Arab country to be part of a FTA with Singapore, according to the statement.

The two countries also agreed to discuss practical steps to enhance cooperation in the sectors of water, energy, vocational training and public sector development through holding meetings for the concerned officials.

Safadi pointed out Jordan’s interest in strengthening relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and initiating a dialogue with the ASEAN on the economic, political and security levels, the statement added.

Safadi and the Singaporean officials highlighted the importance of cooperation in the cultural field, where the Singaporean ministers praised the Kingdom for providing university education opportunities in the fields of Arabic language and Islamic studies for more than 160 Singaporean students.

Safadi and Balakrishnan discussed regional developments, especially those related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Syrian crisis and the fight against terrorism, where the two ministers agreed on the need to upscale efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of the two-state formula and reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis.