FM conveys King’s message to Turkish president

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on bolstering relations, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The message also dealt with regional and international developments and included an invitation from His Majesty to Erdogan to visit the Kingdom.

During the meeting, Safadi conveyed His Majesty's greetings to the Turkish president, and the King’s keenness to develop cooperation in various fields, in a way that would be positively reflected on the two countries. 

The Turkish president sent his greetings to His Majesty, stressing the importance of bilateral relations and the need to work on strengthening them and increasing cooperation in all fields.

President Erdogan accepted His Majesty's invitation, the date of which will be set in coordination between officials in the two countries, highlighting that his country attaches special importance to relations with Jordan and wants to develop them in all fields.

The meeting, which was attended by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, focused on a number of regional and international issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue.

In addition, Safadi held talks with his Turkish counterpart, during which they discussed necessary steps and programmes to increase economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between the countries.

The two ministers also focused regional issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, and a number of international issues of common interest, including the crisis in Ukraine.

In joint press statements, Safadi expressed his content with this visit, pointing out that economic relations are moving forward, as the volume of trade exchange witnessed a remarkable increase last year compared with the previous year, despite the conditions of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Regarding tourism, Safadi encouraged Turkish tourists to visit Jordan, referring to the impact of the pandemic on stopping flights between the countries, and consequently the decrease in the number of tourist arrivals.

He noted that with the resumption of flights between the countries, the tourism sector will witness more joint cooperation.

On the Palestinian issue, Safadi urged taking effective action to resolve the issue on the basis of the two-state solution, which enables the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of June 4, 1967, to live in security and peace alongside Israel in accordance with international law.

Safadi highlighted that His Majesty King Abdullah is leading intensive efforts to return to serious and effective negotiations.

Safadi extended appreciation towards Turkey’s role and its unwavering stances in supporting Palestinian rights and efforts to achieve just and comprehensive peace.

He stressed the continuation of efforts to safeguard the chances of achieving just and comprehensive peace, Palestinian rights and Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, based on the Hashemite Custodianship.

On regional developments, Safadi stressed the continuation of consultation and coordination between Jordan and Turkey to achieve security and stability in the region, pointing to efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis in a manner that preserves Syria's unity, security and stability.

He also highlighted the priority of the issue of refugees in both countries, as they are two of the largest hosting countries. 

For his part, the Turkish foreign minister noted that the volume of trade between the two countries is close to $1 billion, adding that the trade balance is in favour of Turkey, but within a short period the meetings of the joint economic committee will be held between the two countries, and plans will be set on on how to change this balance.

The Turkish foreign minister pointed out that there is an increasing interest from Turkish people to visit Jordan and vice versa, and for this reason, at the end of this month, Turkish Airlines will start its flights again from Istanbul to Aqaba, after being interrupted due to the pandemic.

Regarding the Syrian crisis, he said that Turkey is working jointly with Jordan regarding the voluntary and safe return of Syrians.

On the Palestinian issue, the Turkish minister stressed that his country’s views are identical to Jordan, particularly in regard to the status of Jerusalem, stressing support for the Hashemite Custodianship. 

He highlighted the importance of maintaining cooperation in various international forums, especially the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. 

During the visit, Safadi met Jordan's Ambassador to Turkey Ismail Rifai and the embassy staff at the embassy in Ankara, where he followed up on the efforts in coordination with the ministry's operations unit to help evacuate Jordanians in Ukraine. 

Expressing appreciation, Safadi stressed the importance of exerting every possible effort to provide assistance to Jordanians in these difficult circumstances.

He stressed that His Majesty's directives are clear, as serving Jordanians is a priority.