‘You can depend on Germany as your partner’ — Maas tells Jordanians

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, the Regent, on Thursday met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas over strategic partnership relations between both countries, as well as the latest regional developments.

Prince Feisal expressed Jordan's keenness to expand cooperation ties with Germany in political, economic and military fields, voicing the Kingdom's appreciation for German support for several development projects, according to a Royal Court statement.

The Regent reviewed Jordan's stances towards various regional challenges and crises, and endeavours seeking to reach political solutions to these crises, in a way that restores security and stability to these nations.

Talks covered the burdens Jordan shoulders ensuing from the Syrian refugee influx and their impact on its economy and its limited resources, as well as the importance of increasing the international community's support to host countries, especially Jordan, to enable them to continue providing humanitarian and aid services to refugees.

They also addressed endeavours aiming at pushing forward the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis, based on the two-state solution and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

They also focused on regional and international efforts exerted in the war on terrorism within a holistic approach.

For his part, Maas expressed his country's keenness to support Jordan and enhance cooperation and coordination with the Kingdom, adding that Jordan represents "reason and wisdom" in the region and is a main partner for Germany. 

The foreign minister also praised the Kingdom's pivotal role in the pursuit for peace, stability and security in the Middle East and the entire world.

Also on Thursday, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Maas reiterated their countries’ commitment to ensuring a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis and to continue the fight against terrorism.

The foreign ministers held a joint press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Amman to also talk about “distinguished Jordanian-German relationships and future cooperation”.

Safadi stressed during the press conference the Kingdom’s humanitarian commitment towards Syrian refugees since the crisis began seven years ago.

“We have exceeded our capacity because we are hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees, but we will continue to offer humanitarian assistance and at the same time we call on the international community to meet its own responsibility towards the refugees,” Safadi said.

At the same time, Safadi stressed that Jordan “will take the necessary measures to protect its national interest and security from any repercussions that might develop on the Syrian side”.

Safadi praised the Jordanian-German relationships and the fact that Maas chose Jordan as his first Arab country to visit after assuming his new post.

“This is the first visit for German Foreign Minister Maas and we are hopeful that it will be the beginning of many visits to come in the near future,” Safadi told the press.

“We stressed during our meetings the importance of strong cooperation between the two countries, especially with regards to the Syrian refugee crisis and the role Germany is assuming to strengthen our ties with the European Union,” Safadi added.

Safadi noted that several topics were discussed with Maas during the meeting, including defence, economy and trade exchange.

Meanwhile, Maas stressed the importance of the Kingdom in maintaining stability and security for its own people and the region as a whole.

“We portray Jordan as a source of stability in the region and the cooperation between Jordan and Germany is of extreme importance to us. You can depend on Germany to be your partner in the future,” Maas said.

On the Palestinian issue, Safadi and his German counterpart reiterated their countries’ commitment towards a two-state solution, which they said was the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and peace and security in the region”.