FM meets Egyptian counterpart in Cairo

AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Thursday held talks in Cairo with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri, which focused on boosting bilateral ties and ways to deal with regional crises. 

Both ministers highlighted the importance of taking practical measures to enhance the joint Arab action, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

They also discussed the Kingdom’s preparations to host the Arab summit later in the month, where Jordan hopes that the pan-Arab meeting will result in enhancing joint Arab action in a way that improves capability of addressing crises affecting the Arab world.

In a joint press conference following the one-on-one meeting, Safadi replied to a question by saying that Jordan is taking part in Astana’s Syria peace talks as an observer and supports any effort that aims at reaching a ceasefire across Syria, especially in the southern region closer to the Kingdom’s northern borders.

Astana talks are not an alternative to the Geneva efforts that form the main framework of reaching a political solution to the Syrian conflict, the minister highlighted.

He also said that discussions with Shukri addressed the major challenges facing the Arab world and ways to address them, underlining Cairo’s important role in enhancing the regional stability and security.

Jordanian-Egyptian consultation and coordination not only aim at serving bilateral relations, but also seek to serve the interests of the Arab nation and its peoples to enhance the joint Arab action and maintain pan-Arab security, Safadi stressed.

The minister also highlighted the significance of increasing the level of coordination among Arab countries to find solutions to regional crises, especially the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the Syrian crisis and the developments in the Libyan arena.  

For his part, Shukri expressed hope that the Arab summit will boost joint Arab action and serve Arab national security, voicing Cairo’s readiness to help Amman in organising the summit.

He expressed confidence that Jordan will organise a successful summit and play a positive role while presiding the Arab League in the year that follows the pan-Arab meeting. 

Also on Thursday, Safadi discussed regional developments, focusing on efforts to reach a peaceful solution for the Syrian crisis with French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, Petra reported. 

They also discussed bilateral relations and cooperation. 

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Safadi and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov over the phone discussed steps to bolster bilateral relations between Amman and Moscow, Petra reported. 

Safadi and Lavrov also reviewed regional developments and ongoing efforts to solve crises in the region, two topics that will be on the agenda of the upcoming Arab summit to be held in Jordan between March 23 and 29.