Turkey seeks coordination with Jordan over region

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu over the latest regional developments and bilateral relations, a Royal Court statement said.

During the meeting, Cavusoglu conveyed to the King greetings from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His Majesty called for intensified efforts at the regional and international levels to find permanent solutions to the region's woes in such a way to combat the rising radicalism and terrorist organisations, and achieve a more secure and safe future for the people of the region.

On the peace process, the Monarch stressed the importance of re-launching direct peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, after the indefinite ceasefire reached in Gaza, on the basis of the two-state solution, adding that the envisaged outcome must lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the statement said.

The King also warned against the prolongation of the Syrian crisis and its consequences on neighbouring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan which host the largest numbers of Syrian refugees, highlighting the increasing burdens on the resource-limited Jordan resulting from the refugee crisis.

On Iraq, the King voiced Jordan’s full support to all efforts seeking to safeguard the Iraqi unity, describing the formation of Haider Al Abadi’s government as an important step forward towards Iraq’s stability and security, according to the statement.

Means to enhance Jordanian-Turkish ties and cooperation in various fields were also discussed during the meeting. 

For his part, Cavusoglu briefed the King on Turkey’s position on all regional issues, voicing his country’s keenness on maintaining coordination and cooperation with Jordan over all issues of mutual concern.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and the Turkish ambassador to Amman.

Also on Tuesday, Judeh and Cavusoglu held a separate meeting during which they discussed the latest regional developments and bilateral relations. 

At a press conference following the meeting, Judeh said that the spread of terrorist organisations in Syria and Iraq was a major topic discussed during the meeting in addition to the Syrian and Iraqi crises and the peace process.

Cavusoglu said that his visit to Jordan was the first he has made since taking office, voicing Ankara’s keenness on building strategic partnership with Amman.