King holds meetings with world leaders on ties, refugee crisis

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday held several separate meetings with world leaders and senior officials on the sidelines of the "Supporting Syria and the Region Conference" in London.

Discussions at the meetings covered the latest developments in the Middle East, especially in regard to the Syrian crisis, the importance of supporting countries hosting Syrian refugees, and efforts to combat terrorism and achieve peace in the region, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty met Charles, Prince of Wales, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. 

He also held meetings with prime ministers Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark, Juha Sipila of Finland, Charles Michel of Belgium and Tammam Salam of Lebanon. 

Moreover, His Majesty met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development President Sir Suma Chakrabarti.

The Monarch had brief encounters with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari. 

At the meeting with Prince Charles, talks addressed Jordan’s efforts in dealing with the Syrian crisis and the services offered to refugees.

His Majesty thanked the UK for supporting Jordan through the projects implemented by the Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation in the field of training and vocational education. 

Prince Charles commended Jordan’s role in dealing with the challenges in the region, particularly the Syrian crisis.

During talks with Cameron, the King stressed the need for more international support for Jordan to be able to handle the Syrian refugee crisis.

Assistance from donor countries, he added, should improve Jordan’s infrastructure, health, education and energy sectors and secure financing for development projects.

Cameron voiced his country’s keenness on assisting refugee-burdened Jordan.

Discussions at the other meetings highlighted the importance of finding a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends the violence and preserves the country’s unity.

Talks also focused on the importance of having all countries commit to the outcomes of the donor conference to help refugee-hosting countries, especially Jordan.

His Majesty highlighted the importance of having the international community shoulder its responsibilities to mitigate the repercussions of the Syrian refugee influx on Jordan by supporting its development projects to enable it to continue offering humanitarian and relief services. 

The meetings also covered the importance of intensifying efforts and cooperation among the effective regional and international parties to combat the danger of terrorism and terrorist groups. 

The King reaffirmed Jordan’s call for a holistic approach with the participation of all concerned parties to combat terrorism.

Moreover, the meetings tackled the importance of reviving Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations through a two-state solution. 

For their part, the world leaders and officials praised Jordan’s approach in dealing with regional crises wisely, commending the Kingdom’s humanitarian services to Syrian refugees.