AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi on Monday received a call from Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, during which they discussed efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalate tensions in the region.

 

The two ministers stressed the importance of preventing further escalation and its potential threats to regional and global security and peace, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

Safadi emphasised the urgency of halting the aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip, highlighting that addressing the ensuing humanitarian crisis is of "paramount" importance to prevent the war from expanding across the region.

 

Safadi also reiterated the necessity of acknowledging the rights of the Palestinian people, stressing that their right to freedom and to establish an independent state on their national soil, in accordance with the two-state solution, is the cornerstone for ensuring enduring security and stability for all parties involved.

 

Interviewed by CNN on Monday, Safadi said that Jordan does not want a spillover conflict in the Middle East after Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel.

 

He said that all parties in the long-running conflict should focus on the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

 

Asked about the interception of Iranian drones over Jordanian airspace, Safadi said Amman's response would be the same whether the threat had originated from Iran, Israel or any other country.

 

"Our longstanding policy, whatever objects that go into our skies, violates our airspace that we believe that pose a danger to Jordan, we will do whatever it means to end that threat," Safadi said.

 

When asked whether Iran warned Jordan before the attack, Safadi said "it was no secret to everybody" that the Iranian retaliation was "imminent".

 

"We don't want conflict with Iran. We don't want conflict and the whole region," Safadi said.

 

Safadi noted that the continuation of the conflict in Gaza and the West Bank could lead to further destabilization.

 

"When the war in Gaza ends, parties can work on a two-state solution that would fulfil the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to freedom and statehood."