EU stresses Kingdom’s role in promoting peace, dialogue

AMMAN — Jordan has maintained its vital role as a “beacon of peace” and a “proponent of dialogue” in the region, European Union (EU) Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopman said in an interview with The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

“Hosting this conference in Amman is an example of the work Jordan is doing to promote peace and intensify dialogue,” he told The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the Amman Security Colloquium, which concluded on Thursday.

The representative noted that the event has provided a platform for different views and perspectives to be voiced on urgent matters of global and regional concern. 

He also said that keeping the “channels of communication and dialogue open is essential” in the midst of surrounding conflicts and trying times in the region.

“The lack of progress in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process is a matter of regional security. Our job as the EU is to work on reviving it to put an end to this cycle of violence and ensure that the occupation doesn’t go on forever,” Koopman said. 

The EU maintains its position as a proponent of the two-state solution, he continued, condemningthe “illegal” expansion of settlements and the “escalation of violence”, resulting in the tragic loss of lives.

Koopman also affirmed the EU’s keenness to continue its cooperation with Jordan as a “key and active” partner in its efforts to achieve progress towards a just and comprehensive peace. 

Moreover, he highlighted the significance of the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Jerusalem and commended the Kingdom’s efforts in welcoming Syrian refugees.

“Jordan plays a crucial stabilising role in the Middle East region that is currently beset by conflicts and the EU will continue to actively support it and other countries in hosting Syrian refugees,” said Koopman. 

The EU is a long-standing and stable supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he added. 

As the biggest donor to UNRWA, the EU reaffirms its commitment to supporting Palestinian refugees in Jordan and elsewhere in the region, as “the agency’s work is essential in ensuring its security, stability and development”, he said. 

In August, the European Union announced a 261 million euro funding package for UNRWA to secure “predictable financial resources” to provide essential services to refugees and to address the food insecurity aggravated by the Ukraine war, according to Koopman.