AMMAN/OTTAWA — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to begin an official visit to the Kingdom on Wednesday.
His Majesty King Abdullah will hold talks with Harper on bilateral relations and regional developments, especially the peace process and the situation in Syria, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Talks will also focus on cooperation in trade and tourism.
Harper is also scheduled to hold talks with senior officials in Amman.
The visit, which will continue for several days, is part of Harper’s first official trip to the Middle East, which started on Saturday and continues through January 25, Agence France-Presse reported.
In addition to Jordan, the Canadian premier will make stops in Israel and the West Bank.
Harper will meet with political and business leaders and others to discuss trade and security matters, including “persistent threats posed by the Iranian regime, the ongoing instability in Syria and the Middle East peace process”, his spokesperson, Jason MacDonald, told reporters on Friday, AFP reported.
The prime minister is expected to hold direct talks with Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Harper will be accompanied by a “sizeable delegation” that will include ministers of employment, foreign affairs, industry, international development, resources and trade, AFP said.
Canada has free trade agreements with both Israel and Jordan.
According to the latest Canadian government figures, Canada and Jordan traded 114.7 million Canadian dollars ($104.7 million) worth of goods in 2012, primarily aircraft, motor vehicles, wood, machinery, vegetables, knitted or woven apparel, nitrates and precious stones.
