Safadi conveys King’s greetings to Lebanon’s Aoun

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Saturday conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah's greetings to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, expressing  King Abdullah's keenness to enhance the “historical and brotherly” relations between the countries and reiterating the Kingdom's full support for the Lebanese people.

The Lebanese president, during a reception for Safadi and Arab foreign ministers ahead of the launch of a Lebanon-hosted consultative meeting, voiced his pride in the Jordanian-Lebanese relations, conveying his greetings to His Majesty, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.  

Safadi said that Jordan supports Lebanon's efforts to overcome the hard conditions and restore its crucial role, stressing that protecting Lebanon's stability is fundamental to regional security and stability.

Holding the consultative meeting in Beirut signals “a clear message of support for Lebanon”, Safadi said. 

Safadi and Arab foreign ministers who took part in the meeting also met Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri, with talks focusing on expanding cooperation between Arab countries and Lebanon, enhancing joint action in addition to discussing the latest regional and international developments.

Speaking during the consultative meeting, Safadi emphasised the importance of systematic Arab institutional action in approaching common challenges, highlighting the need to activate the collective Arab role to resolve regional crises. He stressed that Arab countries must assume a key role in addressing their issues.

During the meeting, several regional and international issues were discussed, notably the Palestinian cause, efforts to resolve the Syrian and Yemeni crises, the situation in Libya, supporting Iraq and its stability, supporting Lebanon and preserving its stability, as well as the Ukrainian crisis and its impacts on food and energy security, besides issues related to combatting  terrorism.

Preparations for the upcoming Arab summit in Algeria, development opportunities, the institutionalisation of Arab cooperation in the sectors of food and pharmaceutical security, environment protection and the development of scientific institutions and other vital sectors were also discussed during the meeting.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Safadi held discussions with a number of his counterparts over means of bolstering bilateral relations and enhancing joint Arab action, as well as the latest regional and international developments and efforts to resolve regional crises.

Safadi’s meetings included Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Qatari  Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jarandi and Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.

Safadi also met with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Lebanon presides over the 157th session of the Council of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level. The previous consultative meeting of foreign ministers was held last January in Kuwait, president of the previous ministerial-level session.

No decisions are made by the biannual consultative meetings.