Jordan, Saudi Arabia set to boost ties in all fields

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday met with Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, deputy crown prince, second deputy prime minister and the minister of defence of Saudi Arabia, a Royal Court statement said.  

At the end of the meeting, which took place, at the Husseiniya Palace, Jordan and Saudi Arabia issued the following joint statement: 

“Based on the deep-rooted and historical relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan — under the leaderships of the Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan — Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, deputy crown prince, second deputy prime minister and the minister of defence of Saudi Arabia, visited Jordan on Tuesday, August 4, 2015, upon an invitation by King Abdullah.

King Abdullah and Prince Mohammad held expanded bilateral talks that focused on bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region, which reflected identical views of King Abdullah and King Salman on these issues. 

Upon directives by the Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his brother, His Majesty King Abdullah II, the talks ended with agreement on the importance of boosting political, economic, military and security cooperation between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Both sides also highlighted the importance of joint action to fight terrorism and terrorist organisations, so as to protect the teachings of Islam, which preaches tolerance, and defend the security of the region and its peoples.

The two sides asserted that the security of each kingdom is an integral part of that of the other.

Talks also covered the sorrowful situation in Syria and ways to work out a solution that guarantees the security and rights of the Syrian people.

The two sides also discussed the developments in Yemen and the tremendous efforts exerted by the Saudi Arabia-led alliance in response to an appeal by the legitimate Yemeni government to defend the brotherly Yemeni people, safeguard their security and stability and extend humanitarian aid to help them overcome their crisis.

It was emphasised that international support to Jordan must be intensified as the country receives Syrian refugees, shoulders the ensuing burden and exerts humanitarian efforts in this regard.

The two sides stressed the importance of keeping Iraq united and the need to engage all its components in the political process, so that they stand shoulder to shoulder to defend their country’s territory, build its institutions and preserve its independence.

The two sides also voiced their utter rejection of Iran’s attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries, which are aimed at destabilising these countries and jeopardising their security. They stressed that such interference violates all international conventions and pacts, emphasising that good neighbourly ties necessitate that [Iran] refrains from interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries and trying to impose its hegemony. 

The two sides stressed the importance of making progress in the [Mideast] peace process on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions to realise the aspirations of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate right to establish their independent and fully sovereign state.

Regarding bilateral ties, His Majesty King Abdullah hailed the support to Jordan’s economy extended by Saudi Arabia over the past years and decades, underlying the contribution of such support to the development process in Jordan.

For his part, HRH Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud pointed out the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines King Salman Bin Abdulaziz on enhancing ties between the two countries, taking joint action to a new level in all fields and increasing mutual investment opportunities, which are prone to be of benefit to the two countries and their peoples. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, His Majesty asked the Saudi prince to convey his greetings to King Salman Bin Abdulziz and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz.

Prince Mohammed thanked the King and the government of Jordan for their hospitality.

From the Jordanian side, the talks were attended by HRH Prince Feisal, Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Military Adviser and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, King’s National Security Adviser and General Intelligence Department Director Gen. Faisal Shobaki, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan, and King’s Envoy to Saudi Arabia Bassem Awadallah.

From the Saudi side, the talks were attended by Social Affairs Minister Majed Bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Culture and Information Minister Adel Bin Zaid Al Turaifi, and advisers at the Saudi royal court, Fahad Bin Mohammad Al Issa and Saud Bin Abdullah Al Qahtani, in addition to Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Sami Al Saleh and several members of the accompanying delegation.

His Majesty had received the Saudi prince upon his arrival at Al Husseiniya Palace, accompanied by Prince Feisal.

The King also saw the deputy crown prince off at the Queen Alia International Airport, where Prince Feisal and a number of senior officials and officers were also present along with the Saudi ambassador and representatives of the embassy.