His Majesty meets with Asian leaders on summit’s sidelines

JAKARTA — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday held meetings with a number of world leaders and heads of delegations participating in the 2015 Asian African Conference being held in Jakarta.

Means to improve bilateral relations was a major topic discussed during a meeting between His Majesty and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in addition to the latest regional and international developments, according to a Royal Court statement.

The two leaders stressed the importance of building upon partnership agreements Jordan and Indonesia signed, especially in education and trade fields, to serve the interests of the people of the two countries.

The King also stressed the important role of Indonesia in safeguarding the stability of the Islamic world and in defending the true Islam.

For his part, the Indonesian president highlighted the King’s focal role in enhancing the Middle East’s stability and security, voicing his country’s keenness on enhancing its relations with Jordan at all levels.

Widodo also expressed his country’s willingness to seek Jordan as a gate for Indonesian investments and trade into Middle East markets.

He also called on Jordanian contractors to invest in Indonesian infrastructure projects, the Royal Court said.

The Indonesian president also expressed his country’s keenness on improving its cooperation with Jordan at the UN Security Council to support common causes, especially those related to the Islamic world.

The latest regional developments were also tackled by the two leaders who stressed the need for more cooperation and coordination among Islamic states to combat terrorism through a comprehensive approach that should seek to clarify the true essence of Islam.

The King also held another meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which focused on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to the Royal Court.

The King and Abe expressed satisfaction over the advanced level of Jordanian-Japanese relations, stressing the need to continue improving them in the educational, economic, cultural and developmental fields.

The Monarch expressed his appreciation for the Japanese assistance to Jordan to achieve sustainable development through investments.

Stressing the strong Jordanian-Japanese bonds, Abe expressed his country’s keenness on increasing its assistance to Jordan and in doing whatever possible to ensure the safety and security of the Kingdom. 

The two sides also discussed the peace process and means to enhance Jordanian-Japanese cooperation in humanitarian aspects, especially with regard to the Syrian refugee crisis with Abe unveiling Japan’s intention to extend further assistance in this area.

The King and Abe also discussed the latest regional developments in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen, especially efforts exerted to combat terrorism and eradiate radical organisations, the Royal Court said.

In a third meeting, His Majesty held talks with Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that focused on means to enhance bilateral relations in all spheres, in addition to regional and international developments.

The three meetings were attended by HRH Prince Ghazi, King’s personal envoy and adviser for religious and cultural affairs, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Jaafar Hassan and Jordan’s Ambassador to Jakarta Walid Hadid.