King meets new EU foreign affairs chief

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, who is on a visit to Jordan as part of a regional tour after assuming her post earlier this month. 

Congratulating Mogherini on her new role, the King expressed his satisfaction over the level of cooperation and strategic partnership between Jordan and Europe, which he called for fostering at all levels to best serve the interests of both sides, according to a Royal Court statement. 

The situation in Jerusalem and circumstances surrounding the peace process were the focus of the discussions, where King Abdullah highlighted that Jordan, as part of the Hashemites’ role as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, rejects the Israeli practices, especially at Al Haram Al Sharif and Al Aqsa Mosque.  

His Majesty called for intensifying efforts to eliminate obstacles hindering efforts to bring about peace through the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks that address all the final-status issues, arriving at the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

He underlined the important role the EU is playing in supporting peace efforts, calling for bolstering world efforts to combat extremism and terrorism.  

Highlighting the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, His Majesty reiterated Jordan’s position in backing a comprehensive political solution. 

He cited the Kingdom’s efforts to sustain services to a large number of refugees, a burden that exhausts Jordan’s limited resources, especially in the northern and central regions.  

The King called on the international community to increase its assistance to be proportionate to the size of services provided by the Kingdom to the Syrian refugees.

For her part, Mogherini acquainted the King with the outcomes of her meetings with Palestinian and Israeli officials during her tour.

Also on Sunday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh met with the EU official and discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the Middle East.