Jordan, Kenya to advance cooperation in trade, anti-terror efforts

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday met with Kenya's National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi over bolstering joint cooperation and the latest regional developments.

Safadi pointed to the importance of building on the outcomes of His Majesty King Abdullah's meetings with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to further increase coordination over the latest regional and international developments, mainly countering terrorism, a Foreign Ministry statement said.

He also expressed the Kingdom's keenness on building relations with Kenya in various fields, mainly political, economic, investment and trade, as well as in the fields of pharmaceutical industry and medical tourism.

Talks also went over the role of the two countries' legislative authorities in activating and institutionalising communication through Jordanian-Kenyan parliamentary friendship committees. 

The two sides lauded the Jordanian-Kenyan "distinguished" level of defence and security cooperation in terms of combating terrorism.

Muturi also cited the important role of the Aqaba meetings in rallying the efforts of the international community to establish a holistic approach to combat terrorism. 

Safadi, during the meeting, showcased the Kingdom’s economic advantages, drawing attention to its strategic geographic location, which presents a gateway to Africa, and touching on the means of boosting trade exchange through the Aqaba port and Kenya’s Mombasa port.

The Palestinian cause was at the forefront of discussions, which also went over the status quo in Syria, according to the statement.

Also on Wednesday, Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah met with Muturi, with the two voicing both countries’ aspiration to enhance relations and exchange expertise in various economic, tourism and cultural fields, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Maaytah said that Jordan always seeks to develop regulations related to political parties, in a way that can serve the political life and build a foundation for establishing parliamentary governments.

For his part, Muturi called for moving forward with cooperation and exchanging expertise in various fields, mainly at the partisan and parliamentary levels.