London sees deeper ties with Amman soon

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday discussed bilateral relations and latest regional and international developments with UK Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugh Robertson. 

Discussions also covered the latest developments in the US-brokered Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations as well as the Syrian crisis and its consequences on the Kingdom, mainly manifested in the growing refugee burden, a Royal Court statement said. 

During the meeting, the Monarch stressed the need to intensify the international community’s assistance to Jordan to cope with the Syrian refugee influx and continue its humanitarian support to the Syrian refugees.

For his part, Robertson valued the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts in serving the Syrian refugees, voicing Britain’s keenness on continuing its support to Jordan, according to the statement.

The British minister also lauded the King’s role and his ongoing efforts to achieve peace, stability and security in the Middle East and the world.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, King’s Office Director Imad Fakhoury and British Ambassador to Jordan Peter Millett.

Also on Thursday, Robertson met with Interior Minister Hussein Majali. Bilateral ties and the latest regional developments, especially the Syrian crisis’ impact on Jordan, were top on the meeting’s agenda, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

Majali stressed the importance of enhancing the Jordanian-British relationship in all fields, especially cooperation in the fields of police work and anti-corruption. 

He also briefed the visiting official on the political, security, economic and humanitarian impact of the Syrian crisis, saying that resource-poor Jordan will not be able to bear these consequences alone without support of the international community and international organisations. 

For his part, Robertson valued Jordan’s stance towards all regional issues, saying that the next stage will witness more cooperation between Amman and London in all fields.

The British minister started his visit on Wednesday, when he met with Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh and Forum of Jordanian Parliamentarian Women.