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AMMAN () — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday participated in the Fourth Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) in Riyadh, which aims at sustaining cooperation, coordination and consultation among these nations.

In his speech at the closed meeting of the summit, the King highlighted "the importance of our sincere determination to bring our countries closer through enhanced cooperation and stronger partnerships in various fields, especially in the economic sphere", according to a Royal Court statement.

"This meeting shall provide us with a solid platform to build on our countries’ strategic importance, rich human resources and natural wealth," His Majesty said at the summit, chaired by Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz.

"Actually, we have so much in common that the long distances between our countries are not an obstacle. We are connected by the great legacy of rich values and customs shared between Arab and South American civilisations," the Monarch added.

Following is the full text of King Abdullah's speech at the summit:

In the Name of God, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate,

Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

In our continuing quest to deepen and broaden the bonds and relations between our countries, we gather here today for this Fourth South American-Arab Countries Summit. I wish to extend appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of my brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who envisioned and initiated hosting this summit.

This meeting shall provide us with a solid platform to build on our countries’ strategic importance, rich human resources and natural wealth. Actually, we have so much in common that the long distances between our countries are not an obstacle. We are connected by the great legacy of rich values and customs shared between Arab and South American civilisations.

Allow me to underline our sincere determination to bring our countries closer through enhanced cooperation and stronger partnerships in various fields, especially in the economic sphere. Even with all that has been achieved so far, we look forward to establishing new bridges of cooperation and communication between the peoples and leaders of our countries as well as the sharing of expertise that would best serve our mutual interests.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our countries are blessed with promising and youthful populations. It is, therefore, our responsibility to create new and attractive job opportunities to meet their aspirations. In particular, it is incumbent on us to immunise and protect our youth against the poisons of terrorist and extremist ideologies, which certainly recognise no boundaries.

With increased global interconnectedness, drawing our countries and economies closer, it has become virtually impossible to limit the repercussions of any crisis to its geographic location. This requires us to utilise the outcomes of the three previous summits to develop our cooperation and partnership.

Finally, allow me to express our deep appreciation to South American countries for their courageous stands in support of just Arab causes, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause.

Once again, I thank my brother, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his wisdom and forward-looking vision, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the outstanding organisation of this summit.

Wishing you all success.

Peace, God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.

Afterwards, King Abdullah and the accompanying delegation attended an official dinner banquet hosted by King Salman in honour of the participating heads of delegations.

The King’s accompanying delegation included Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, King’s Adviser Ali Fazaa, Jordan’s Ambassador to Riyadh Jamal Shamaileh and Jordan’s Permanent Envoy at the Arab League Bisher Khasawneh.

King Salman, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz, deputy prime minister and minister of interior; Governor of Riyadh Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Abdulaziz; and Jordan’s Ambassador to Riyadh Jamal Shamaileh received King Abdullah upon his arrival at the King Khaled International Airport earlier in the day.

The ASPA summit, which brings together Arab League member states and South American countries, is a gathering for political coordination among these nations, the statement said.

The summit provides the grounds to enhance cooperation at several levels, especially in the economic, cultural, educational, health and tourist sectors, with the aim of achieving sustainable development in these countries and contributing to reaching international peace.

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Tuesday stressed their mutual commitment to deepen the "historic, brotherly" relations between the two kingdoms.

During a meeting held in Riyadh on the sidelines of the Fourth Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA), the two leaders highlighted the importance of sustaining joint coordination and consultation in a way that would contribute to enhancing cooperation and partnership, and benefit their peoples, according to a Royal Court statement.

King Abdullah and the Saudi monarch also discussed the latest regional developments, calling for intensifying efforts to achieve peace and enhance security and stability for the region and its peoples.

They also reviewed issues on the ASPA summit’s agenda, agreeing on the gathering’s importance in boosting cooperation among Arab and South American countries.

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and Jordan’s Ambassador to Riyadh Jamal Shamaileh attended the meeting from the Jordanian side.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz, deputy prime minister and minister of interior; Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, deputy crown prince, second deputy prime minister and minister of defence; and other Saudi ministers and senior officials also attended the meeting.

Also on the sidelines of the summit, King Abdullah met separately with Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the region, a Royal Court statement said. 

AMMAN — The government is working closely with the authorities of countries whose citizens were among the victims shot dead by a Jordanian police officer on Monday, a senior official said Tuesday.

“The concerned authorities are in direct contact with their counterparts in the victims' countries, and we report progress in the investigations related to the incident to them,” Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani told The Jordan Times.

A Jordanian police officer on Monday killed five contractors working with the Public Security Department, and injured six people before he was killed.

Two US nationals, two Jordanians and one South African were among the victims.

The shooter, identified by a relative as Captain Anwar Abu Zaid, also injured two other US contractors, three Jordanian police officers, and one Lebanese lieutenant.

One of the Jordanian victims, Kamal Malkawi, was laid to rest in Zarqa, some 22km east of Amman, on Tuesday.

The shooting took place at a police training centre in Muwaqqar in East Amman.

Relatives of Abu Zaid said he was an observant Muslim and not affiliated with any radical groups, expressing shock over the incident.

Responding to a question on the motive behind the shooting, Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs and communications, said: “We are waiting for results of the investigation.” 

He called on the public and the media not to circulate any rumours before the investigation concludes.

Stressing that this incident is not common in Jordan, Momani said “our security system” is and will remain strong.

Mohammad Ghazal and Muath Freij also contributed to this report.

AMMAN — The oil pipeline between Iraq and Jordan is a priority for the Iraqi government to serve its economy and guarantee the sustainability of exports, Iraqi Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Tuesday.

Baghdad is currently considering the best alternatives to change the pipeline's course to pass through safer areas inside the country, Zebari told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, on the sidelines of a press conference held in Amman with the head of the International Monetary Fund's mission to Iraq.

The minister announced that an official Iraqi delegation, chaired by Oil Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, will visit Amman early next week to discuss new arrangements for the pipeline with officials at the Energy Ministry and the government in the presence of the Egyptian energy minister.

The Iraqi minister noted that one alternative entails starting the pipeline from Najaf and extending it westwards near the Saudi border before entering Jordan to reach Aqaba, from which the oil will be exported to the Egyptian and international markets.

The Iraqi government estimates the total cost of the pipeline at around $15 billion, a project that international companies will implement on a build, operate and transfer basis, Petra added.

The project was originally envisioned as a 1,680km double pipeline that would pump 1 million barrels of oil a day from Basra on the Arabian Gulf to Aqaba Port, and around 258 million cubic feet of gas.

It is expected to provide Jordan with 150,000 barrels of oil per day, while the rest will be exported through Aqaba, generating an estimated $3 billion a year in revenues for the Kingdom.

AMMAN — The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Tkiyet Um Ali (TUA) signed an agreement Tuesday to provide direct food assistance to 100,000 food-insecure Jordanians living in rural areas across the country.

For a period of two months, WFP will contribute four out of the 22 food items that TUA provides to Jordanian recipients on a monthly basis, according to a joint statement from WFP and TUA.

TUA will continue the food aid programme after the conclusion of the WFP partnership, the statement said.

“This activity is part of WFP’s wider objective to help vulnerable Jordanians throughout the Kingdom affected by the extended economic crisis through cash and food assistance," the statement quoted WFP Country Director for Jordan Mageed Yahia as saying.

"WFP’s objective is to enhance the food security status of its beneficiaries by addressing short-term food needs through direct food assistance,” he added.

TUA Director General Samer Balkar said the partnership will enable the tkiyet to deliver the contribution of donor agencies to individuals "who have been endorsed based on set criteria and standards implemented on an international level and our own comprehensive database of households living in extreme poverty”. 

“This partnership will ease the financial burden of TUA’s sustainable food aid programme, which can reach $1.5 million on a monthly basis,” Balkar said, adding that the targeted group comprises those socially or physically unable to work or be rehabilitated.

The WFP-TUA partnership forms part of a long-term $41 million agreement between WFP and the government to assist Jordanians affected by economic difficulties in the country and the influx of Syrian refugees.

AMMAN — Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Tuesday visited the headquarters of Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), where the Amman and Pafos mayors signed a twinning agreement. 

Anastasiades, who was accompanied by Pafos Mayor Phedon Phedonos, said his visit seeks to build solid grounds for Jordanian-Cypriot relations in economy, tourism and culture, and to boost grounds for mutual respect between the people of the two countries.  

The Cypriot president, received at GAM by Amman Mayor Aqel Biltaji, described the twinning agreement signed between Amman and Pafos, a city on the southwest coast of Cyprus, as a clear indication of efforts to boost future cooperation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

During the visit, Biltaji presented the key to Amman to Anastasiades, who expressed his admiration for the history of the capital and the various successive civilisations that lived and prospered in Jordan. 

Underscoring the importance of the twinning agreement, Biltaji highlighted the historic links between the two cities, noting that both have played a key role in the field of trade. 

He also emphasised the tourism and cultural cooperation that the agreement will lead to, stressing Amman’s resilience and ability to cooperate with other cities, and deal with crises.

Biltaji noted that Papfos has been named European Capital of Culture for 2017.

Biltaji also presented the Cypriot president with a golden coin, depicting His Majesty King Abdullah on one side and an image of the Baptism Site on the other, as a token of appreciation. 

He also presented a similar silver coin to Phedonos.    

Anastasiades and his wife arrived in Amman on Monday on an official visit to the Kingdom, during which he is scheduled to hold talks with His Majesty King Abdullah.

The talks will cover bilateral relations, and regional and international developments, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

AMMAN — HORECA Jordan 2015, the second international exhibition of the hospitality and food and beverage service industries, opened in the capital on Tuesday.

The exhibition is an important event to improve tourism products and familiarise owners of tourist facilities and restaurants with the latest updates in the industry, Jordan Restaurants Association (JRA) Technical Manager Mohammad Al Manha told The Jordan Times.

The word HORECA is an acronym made up of the two initial letters of the words hotel, restaurant and café.

Tourism Ministry Secretary General Issa Gammoh inaugurated the three-day exhibition at a ceremony attended by Jordan Tourism Board Director General Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Jordan Hotels Association President Michael Nazzal, JRA representatives, ambassadors and business people.

Gammoh toured the exhibition, hosted at Zara Expo, where he met with representatives of companies, hotels and restaurants, and thanked the participants for their efforts.

"HORECA is very important to Jordan as it showcases products that contribute to tourism services and gathers potential investors as well as employers and customers," Gammoh told The Jordan Times.

He said some agreements were signed as part of the exhibition, in which around 110 local and international companies are participating, adding that holding the event for the second time is an indication of the organisers' interest in the Jordanian tourist product and a chance for visitors to observe investment opportunities in the Kingdom.

"The goal of participation is to showcase the products you have to customers and to other companies as well as get to know the products of rival companies," Kaylani Food Centre Marketing Manager Saleh Elayan said.

Mohannad Alqalqili, one of the visitors, said the exhibition is a venue where companies and organisations can meet.

"There are many companies that offer a variety of products, which is great and it seems like there are more people visiting this year than last year," he added.

Exhibitors from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, the UAE, Tunisia, Korea, Italy, Brazil and Turkey are taking part in
HORECA Jordan 2015, according to the organisers.

The event also features international cooking competitions, with the participation of more than 120 chefs from Jordanian hotels and restaurants, supervised by an international judging panel headed by the World Association of Chefs Societies.

Ewald Notter, a Swiss judge at one of the cooking competitions, said it was his first time in Jordan and that he liked how people are very friendly, as well as the passion of the participants at the competitions.

Organised by Lebanese company Hospitality Services S.A.R.L ExpoJordan, and Lawrence & Husseini Consult, the event also features bed-making, coffee-serving, and table setting competitions.

The exhibition, which is open from 3pm to 9pm, concludes on Wednesday.

AMMAN — Jordan this week urged the EU to help it secure the required funds for the 2016-2018 response plan for the Syrian refugee crisis.

During a meeting with Christian Danielsson, director general of the European Commission's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Department, on the sidelines of the Resilience Development Forum at the Dead Sea, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said financing the Jordan Response Plan 2016-2018 will enable the Kingdom to meet the requirements of hosting Syrian refugees by strengthening the resilience of host communities and supporting the budget.

Talks at the meeting, attended by EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana, also covered enhancing and developing bilateral relations in all fields, especially within the framework of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and Euro-Jordanian Association agreement, a ministry statement said.

The minister expressed Jordan's commitment to enhancing its partnership with the EU for the benefit of both parties. 

The two sides highlighted the importance of what was achieved concerning the comprehensive review of the European Neighbourhood Policy. 

The new approach of this revision is expected to be announced by mid-November. This will be followed by negotiations between both parties, targeting more cooperation and dialogue, according to the statement.

Fakhoury briefed the EU official on Jordan's political and economic reform efforts, in addition to the effect of the Syrian crisis on the Kingdom.

The minister outlined the progress of work on the Red-Dead Sea Canal, especially on the brine canal project, stressing the need to mobilise all financial resources for this "vital project" because of the humanitarian pressures on Jordan resulting from the increased demand on water due to the Syrian refugee influx. 

This project is vital to help the Dead Sea, in terms of environment, tourism, economy and as a natural heritage site, the statement quoted the minister as saying. 

"The Red-Dead Sea Canal is the only choice for Jordan to cover some of its water deficit and Europe expressed strong support for the project," the statement said.

In this regard, the two sides discussed proposals to adopt a comprehensive framework for dealing with the consequences of the Syrian crisis. 

The framework would develop programmes to empower Jordan to endure the consequences of hosting Syrian refugees, and to obtain assistance in grants and soft financing instruments.

Danielsson commended Jordan's economic and political reforms, expressing his understanding of the burden it shoulders in light of the Syrian refugee influx.

He stressed that he would do his best to look into ways of increasing support for Jordan in the next stage to enable it to overcome these challenges.

AMMAN — The total contributions of international organisations and donors do not exceed 38 per cent of Syrian refugees’ educational costs, Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Mohammad Thneibat said Tuesday. 

At a meeting with UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova held at the organisation’s headquarters in Paris, Thneibat noted more than 200,000 non-Jordanian students receive education at Jordan’s public schools without having to pay any additional costs, despite the Kingdom’s scarce resources, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The minister called on UNESCO to support Jordan in the fields of vocational education and teacher training, with Bokova expressing readiness to help the Kingdom.

Thneibat also voiced his appreciation for UNESCO’s efforts in preserving Islamic and Christian heritage in Jerusalem and its role in this regard.

Bokova stressed UNESCO’s support for Jordan’s efforts in hosting and educating Syrian refugees, adding that the agency is fully aware of the pressure and challenges the Syrian crisis placed on the Kingdom’s infrastructure and limited resources, according to Petra. 

Thneibat and Bokova also agreed to assign one of the UNESCO director general’s assistants to follow up on all the issues covered during the meeting, especially those related to vocational education, teacher training and the impact of Syrian refugees on the education sector.

Jordan’s Ambassador to France Makram Qaisi, who attended the meeting, said the embassy will also follow up on the outcomes of the talks in cooperation with the Education Ministry, praising UNESCO’s support for the educational, cultural and scientific fields, Petra added.

AMMAN — Royal Jordanian (RJ) will open a new direct regular route between Amman and the Turkish capital, Ankara, effective December 8, 2015, with three weekly flights, the airline announced on Tuesday. 

RJ President/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat said the national carrier is expanding its network in Turkey by adding the Ankara route to that of Istanbul. 

"This route is bound to cater to the demand of business traffic between the capital of Turkey and both Jordan and beyond. It will also serve Hajj and umrah pilgrims," an RJ statement said. 

Obeidat highlighted Ankara's significant geographical location in central Turkey and at the crossroads of highways and railway networks. In addition, Ankara and its vicinity are important regional centres for trade and commerce, the airline said.

The new addition to the route network brings the number of RJ destinations to 55, Obeidat said, noting that two new destinations will be added before the end of the year. 

Royal Jordanian will operate to Ankara, on Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays bringing the number of flights between Jordan and Turkey to between 12 and 17 weekly, depending on the seasonal demand, according to the statement.

RJ customers can book their flights at any of its sales offices or agents in Jordan, Turkey and worldwide, its booking engine at www.rj.com, or by contacting the RJ call centre at +962 6 5100000. 

The airline first started operating to Ankara in 1989 and suspended the route in 2004 for commercial reasons.