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AMMAN — In line with her belief in the importance of improving the quality of teachers’ training, Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday dropped in on one of the short training courses at the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA).

Held by the academy for the third consecutive year, the courses are provided to teachers during schools’ summer and winter vacations, according to a statement from Her Majesty’s office. Teachers who want to participate in the training sign up voluntarily, unlike QRTA’s regular courses where trainees are selected by the Ministry of Education.

Queen Rania attended part of a session on “performance evaluation” which mostly included teachers from public schools and a few educators from private schools.

She listened to trainees talk about the course and explain the skill sets they were hoping to acquire or improve through their attendance, the statement said.

Her Majesty praised teachers for their enthusiasm and determination in making use of their holiday to develop their teaching skills, adding that this makes them role models among their colleagues and peers.

She added that such courses are crucial to enhancing the quality of education in Jordan, and the fact that teachers sign up voluntarily to attend them is evidence that they are keen on providing their students with the best education possible.

During the session, which was also attended by QRTA Director Haif Banayan, Queen Rania stressed the fact that QRTA is constantly looking for ways to reach and benefit the largest number of teachers across Jordan.

Her Majesty had the chance to ask the attendees whether they thought current school curricula enabled them to apply the new strategies and skills they were learning.

The teachers answered that, regretfully, the current curricula doesn’t help them as it is both outdated and tends to focus more on the quantity of information being taught rather than its quality.

The academy is training 400 teachers this month, the statement said

Queen Rania launched QRTA in June 2009, in partnership with Columbia University, as a centre of excellence in teachers’ education in Jordan and the region. 

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif bilateral ties and the latest regional developments, especially the situation in Syria and the peace process.

During the meeting, Zarif conveyed to His Majesty greetings from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a Royal Court statement said.

On Syria, the King reiterated Jordan’s stance in support of an inclusive political solution that can safeguard the country’s territorial unity and end the suffering of its people, the Royal Court said.

Concerning the efforts exerted to achieve peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the Monarch re-emphasised that any solution should lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state according to the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions.

Means to enhance Jordanian-Iranian relations and other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting, the statement said.

For his part, Zarif voiced his country’s keenness on maintaining consultation and coordination with Jordan over challenges facing the Middle East, voicing appreciation for the King’s role in enhancing the concepts of co-existence, tolerance and dialogue among the region’s peoples and cultures and his initiatives towards that end.

The meeting was attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, the King’s office director Imad Fakhoury, Iranian chargé d’affaires to Jordan and the delegation accompanying Zarif.

Also on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour held talks with Zarif, attended by Judeh, which focused on regional developments and bilateral ties. Judeh also held separate talks with his Iranian peer.

According to a Jordanian official familiar with Zarif’s talks in Amman, the Iranian top diplomat voiced Tehran’s support for a “comprehensive dialogue” between the Syrian government and the opposition without “imposing foreign agendas”.

Also during the talks, the official said Zarif approached Amman to ask it to act as a “mediator” between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which Tehran accuses of carrying out a proxy war against Iran in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon in recent years, in order to improve ties between the staunch rivals ahead of the Geneva II peace conference.

In return, Iran is reportedly prepared to throw its full support behind the outcomes of Geneva II “without preconditions”, even accepting a limited role for President Bashar Assad in a proposed transition government, according to sources close to the Iranian delegation.

Should Riyadh act in kind, Arab and Iranian diplomats say Iran is prepared to pull back various Shiite Iraqi and Iranian militias it has allegedly dispatched to Syria over the past year in a bid to enforce a ceasefire during next week’s talks.

A favourable Saudi response to Jordan’s mediatory efforts may even result in full Iranian participation in the Geneva summit, the sources claimed.

The two sides also explored prospects of allowing Iranian religious tourism to the Kingdom, home to several sites and tombs revered by both Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam.

Zarif also renewed a previous Iranian offer to provide Jordan with natural gas and boost investment in the country’s energy sector. However, unlike his predecessors, Zarif did not link increased energy cooperation with political policies or any “reciprocal acts” from Jordan, the sources said. 

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday underlined the “deep” Jordanian-Algerian relationship and the Kingdom’s commitment to building on them at all levels.

At a meeting with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtan Lamamra, the premier said cooperation between the two countries has prospered during the last few decades, especially in economic, education, industry, aviation and media areas.

Ensour highlighted challenges facing the Kingdom due to regional unrest and hosting a huge number of Syrian refugees, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Discussions also covered the latest developments in the region, especially the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis.

For his part, Lamamra underlined his country’s keenness to improve cooperation with Jordan, calling for reactivating the work of joint committees.

He noted that there are several Algerian companies operating in the Kingdom.

The official congratulated Jordan for securing a UN Security Council seat.

Also on Monday, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh met with Lamamra and discussed prospects for further cooperation.

Judeh acquainted the official with the outcomes of the Friends of Syria meeting in Paris, which was held on Sunday, in addition to the results of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee’s talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and other officials.

He also highlighted the course of negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis and efforts to render them a success to arrive at the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, according to Petra.

The two parties called for expediting efforts to hold the Geneva II conference in order to come up with a political solution for the Syrian crisis.

Meanwhile, Judeh met with his Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn and looked into the latest regional developments and peace efforts.

At a press conference following the meeting, Judeh stressed the importance of coordinating with Luxembourg as Jordan is a non-permanent UN Security Council member, noting that Asselborn was on a visit to Jordan to take part in an event held by international organisations, intellectuals and diplomats to talk about the aftermath of the Syrian crisis.

Planning Minister Ibrahim Saif also met separately with Asselborn and discussed the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on Jordan.