AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah and UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday held talks at Al Husseiniya Palace, which focused on "historical" relations between Jordan and the UK, as well as the latest regional and international developments.

 

In press remarks, preceding one-on-one talks that were followed by expanded discussions, His Majesty welcomed the premier's second visit to the Kingdom this year and expressed appreciation for May and the UK institutions for the high level of coordination with Amman, according to a Royal Court statement.

 

King Abdullah underlined May's discussions with Prime Minister Hani Mulki, earlier in the day, on means of enhancing the resilience of the Jordanian economy and helping the Kingdom in dealing with regional challenges.

 

Politically, the King said that Jordan and the UK have always worked in harmony, describing such cooperation as very good.

 

For her part, May expressed her gratitude for the King's warm welcome and happiness for visiting Jordan for the second time this year.

 

She expressed happiness for having the chance to discuss with the King ways of moving bilateral ties to higher levels, as well as continuing efforts to solidify economic and development cooperation, voicing support for Jordan 2025 Vision.

 

The premier acknowledged there are a lot of real challenges, agreeing with His Majesty that enhancing the resilience of the economy is a vital issue as it is associated with the country’s ability to generate more jobs and focus on education, which she described as a very important factor in such endeavours. 

 

The expanded talks, which continued over a lunch banquet, covered mechanisms to strengthen Jordanian-British relations, with both sides expressing keenness on enhancing relations at the economic, investment and military levels, among others. 

 

Discussions also focused on the need to continue coordination and consultation over issues of mutual concern and urgent developments in the regional and international arenas, in a way that contributes to achieving peace and stability worldwide. 

 

The two sides also addressed the increasing repercussions of regional crises borne by the Kingdom. His Majesty highlighted the importance of fully implementing the outcomes of 2016 London conference to support refugee hosting countries, calling on donor countries to honour their pledges made at the gathering, mainly Jordan, to help it sustain humanitarian and relief services to refugees.

 

King Abdullah expressed his gratitude for the British support to the Kingdom in this regard.

 

On the latest developments in the region, they stressed the importance of reaching political solutions to crises in a way that brings back peace and security for its peoples.

 

They also went over efforts to push forward the Middle East peace process. The King stressed the importance of intensifying efforts aimed at launching serious and effective negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative, leading to the establishment of the independent Palestinian state within the June 4, 1967 lines and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 

In this regard, His Majesty warned that failure to reach a just and sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue would keep the region subject to more tensions and instigate more extremism and violence.

 

His Majesty and May also discussed ongoing efforts in the war against terrorism within a holistic approach, and highlighted the significance of intensifying cooperation and coordination among regional and international stakeholders to face this threat, which, he said, jeopardises world peace and security.

 

On Syria, they highlighted the importance of building up on Astana talks to reach a political solution in the country within the lines of Geneva understandings and in a way that guarantees Syria’s unity and the safety of its people.

 

King Abdullah and the UK premier also addressed the latest development in Iraq and praised the Iraqi government’s efforts in the war against terrorism, hailing the victories achieved by the Iraqi army against Daesh.

 

For her part, May expressed her country’s appreciation for Jordan’s efforts in dealing with various crises in the Middle East, and UK’s willingness to support endeavours seeking the restoration of security and stability in the region.