‘Jordan has presented counter-narratives to terrorism’

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, HRH Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, on Monday participated in an international anti-terror conference in Albania, a Royal Court statement said. 

The conference, which was opened by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and co-organised with the Dutch government, was held on the sidelines of a two-day gathering, which is part of the “Aqaba Meetings”, a process launched by King Abdullah in 2015 to enhance security, military coordination and cooperation and exchange experiences and intelligence between regional and international partners to combat terrorism through a holistic approach.

Delivering the King’s speech at the conference, Prince Ghazi commended a move to establish a coordination centre in Albania to counter violent extremism in the Balkans, noting that such challenges are mounting and all stakeholders should join forces to overcome them through cooperation and consultation.

Highlighting Jordan’s efforts in this regard, the prince cited international interfaith initiatives launched by Jordan such as Amman Message, A Common Word, World Interfaith Harmony Week and the Baptism Site in Jordan Valley.

He stressed that the ideological challenge is terrorism in the name of Islam, reiterating that fighting terror is a war within the Muslim nation. He noted that Jordan presented the correct narratives against terrorism.

Since the feeling of resentment among individuals is manipulated by terror recruiters, Prince Ghazi said, ensuring justice and the rule of law and making way for dialogue are essential factors in the war against terrorists. The remarks were echoed by Balkan countries’ leaders who took part in the conference, including the premiers of Kosovo and Bulgaria.

The Sunday-Monday meeting, which was held for the first time outside Jordan, particularly addressed security challenges in the Western Balkans, involving security and political officials from 22 countries, as well as officials from the Balkans, international partners and the EU.