King, Fischer discuss ties, anti-terror efforts

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday  underscored the importance of Jordanian-Austrian relations at the bilateral and international levels, and within the framework of Jordan's "advanced status"  partnership with the European Union, stressing the need to further build on them.

During a one-on-one meeting with Austrian President Heinz Fischer in Vienna, which was followed by a broader meeting, the King stressed the strong and historic relations between the two countries, according to a Royal Court statement.

"I am truly delighted to be back in Vienna. This is an old, historic relationship between our two countries and our two peoples," His Majesty said, adding that "we had an example of how this relationship was built by the visits of His Majesty the late King Hussein".

"Next year we will actually celebrate our 60th anniversary of the relationship between our two nations. It has always been a strong relationship and one we are very proud of," the King said.

"With all the challenges we have, Mr President, this is a global war against terror. We are all outraged with what happened in Paris recently. You and I have talked many times about how we all need to come together in this global environment of this global threat to have a holistic approach on how we deal with this challenge," he noted.

"We have seen the challenges of Paris, but we have seen it across the world, unfortunately. Even in the past year, more than 100,000 Muslims have been killed by Daesh/ISIS alone in Syria and Iraq," the King added.

He reiterated that “this is a problem that we Muslims have been dealing with as a fight inside of our religion. I keep reaching out to my colleagues that we all have to come together against this global tyranny and be able to fight this fight together.”

His Majesty voiced optimism that “as the future unfolds that we will all come together as a global community to be able to fight this threat”.

The King also spoke about the refugee crisis, noting that “refugees are fleeing from violence in Syria and Iraq.”

Syrian refugees currently represent 20 per cent of the Kingdom’s population, with the largest bulk living outside camps, in several Jordanian villages and cities, while those in camps represent only 10 per cent of their overall number, King Abdullah said, thanking Austria for supporting Jordan and its people.

“I know that at least the bilateral relations between our two countries will only grow stronger because of the common challenges we face,” he added.

Welcoming the King, Fischer described him as Austria’s friend.

“It is always a pleasure to have friends from abroad, but it is a special pleasure to receive His Majesty, the King of Jordan, who is an old friend of Austria, and I may say a personal friend, and we have regular meetings and exchange of opinions,” he said.

Recalling his recent meeting with King Abdullah some two months ago in New York, Fischer stressed the importance of building on the discussions held back then.

“I remember your father, when he was received in Vienna by Bruno Kreisky, and I was a relatively young collaborator of … Kreisky, learning how he deals with international problems and accompanying him on many, many trips to Arabic countries,” the Austrian president said.

Turning to current challenges, he noted that “we are now in a very difficult situation. It is enough to have one big conflict, but it is more than enough to have several big conflicts. Last time in Vienna, we discussed the issue of Ukraine; this was the number one problem.

“Ukraine is still a problem; maybe on a better way than it was a year ago. This negotiation process is very complicated but it is taking place. But an additional problem is Syria.”

He also mentioned other problems such as the terror attacks in Paris and other places in the world, but stressed that there have been some developments such as the negotiations in Vienna on Iran which “had a positive result after all”.

Discussions between the two leaders dealt with developments in the Middle East and international efforts to confront the global threats of terrorism and radicalism. 

The King said the recent Paris attacks show the global danger of terrorism.

Discussing the outcome of the Vienna meeting on Syria, King Abdullah stressed the importance of arriving at a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Syria, with the participation of all components of the Syrian community.

The two leaders discussed the increasing burdens borne by the Kingdom due to hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees, stressing the importance of the international community’s support for the Kingdom in this context, especially the EU’s.

His Majesty and Fischer also discussed Middle East peace efforts, stressing the importance of ending the stalemate in the peace process to end the flare up of violence, especially in light of Israel’s continued provocations in Jerusalem and at Al Haram Al Sharif.

The King said the two-state solution is the only way forward in the peace process.

Turning to economic cooperation, the Monarch stressed Jordan’s interest in boosting its relations with Austria, urging Jordanian and Austrian businesspeople to exchange visits and explore investment opportunities available in the Kingdom, especially in mega-projects.

King Abdullah also met with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann and discussed ways to boost Jordanian-Austrian relations, especially in economy-related areas.

Addressing current regional developments and ways to deal with them, King Abdullah highlighted the desired role of the EU, especially the role that Austria can play to boost efforts exerted by the various concerned parties in dealing with regional crises and terror groups.

At a meeting with Doris Bures, president of the National Council of Austria, during a visit to the Austrian parliament, discussions covered the latest regional developments and international efforts to arrive at a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

The King reiterated his condemnation of the terrorist attacks that took place in the Middle East and in other countries recently, reasserting the importance of unified global counter-terrorism efforts.

Bures commended Jordan’s efforts to bring stability to the Middle East and its humanitarian role in hosting Syrian refugees, stressing the need to increase international support to the Kingdom.

The Monarch also met with the joint committee on foreign affairs and defence at the Austrian parliament and political party leaders. 

Talks addressed the latest regional developments, mainly the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, in addition to the anti-terror effort.

Speaking to the Jordan News Agency Petra, Austrian MP Christine Muttonen said Austria is “concerned” about what is happening in the Middle East and in Europe and France. 

She said the world should deal with the global challenge of terrorism, not only at the military level, but also arrive at ways to solve economic problems in the region and foster cultural and interfaith dialogue.

Muttonen has been a member of the Austrian parliament since 1999 and also serves as area spokesperson for the Austrian Social Democratic Parliamentary Group for Foreign and European Politics, according to the website of the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.