King holds meeting with UN, EU Council chiefs in New York

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York, where he reviewed the current regional developments and the role of Jordan and the UN in finding political solutions to crises in the region, a Royal Court statement said.

The King and Guterres discussed the developments of the Syrian crisis, especially with regard to the areas of de-escalation, and efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis, within the course of Geneva meetings, in addition to the situation in Iraq.

The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, also focused on the importance of breaking the deadlock in the peace process and re-launching serious and effective negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis on the basis of the two-state solution and international legitimacy resolutions.

The two sides also went over the burdens shouldered by Jordan as a result of hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees and the ensuing pressure on the Kingdom's limited resources and the need for more global support for Jordan and other host countries to enable them carry on with the provision of relief and humanitarian aid, according to the statement.

The UN’s efforts to improve its relief and developmental efforts and international conflict resolutions were also on the agenda of the meeting. 

The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury and Sima Bahous, Jordan’s permanent representative to the UN.

Also on Sunday, His Majesty held talks with European Council President Donald Tusk that focused on ways to enhance Jordanian-EU relations.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting, according to a Royal Court Statement. 

The need to simplify rules of origin for Jordanian exports to EU countries was among the major issues His Majesty discussed with Tusk, as well as the importance of attracting more EU investments in the Kingdom.

Burdens shouldered by Jordan as a result of hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, the ensuing pressure on the Kingdom’s limited resources and the EU support for Jordan in this regard were also discussed, according to the statement.

His Majesty and Tusk also went over the latest regional developments, stressing the EU’s role in pushing forward the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

They also discussed international efforts to combat terrorism within a holistic approach.