AMMAN — Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday received a delegation of EU envoys to the UN on the Middle East to discuss common challenges and developments pertaining to the security and stability of the region.

 

He also met with members of the Senate’s Arab, International and Expatriate Affairs Committee to discuss regional political changes.

 

During the meeting with the EU officials, Safadi reaffirmed the strength of ties and the depth of partnership between Europe and Jordan.

 

He emphasised the “relentless” efforts exerted jointly to expand these relations, economically, developmentally and otherwise, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry.

 

The security of the Arab world and Europe is intertwined, he stressed.

 

Resolving regional conflicts in the Middle East will significantly reflect on the security and stability of Europe as well, he reasserted.

 

Safadi voiced his appreciation of the European support for Jordan, particularly in dealing with the repercussions of the Syria crisis and meeting the needs of some 1.3 million Syrians in the Kingdom.

 

He stated that nearly 90 per cent of the refugees reside outside the camps.

 

Still, Jordan tirelessly works to deliver all the aid and help possible to them, despite the difficult economic situation, Safadi noted.

 

The minister underscored the importance of intensifying efforts to arrive at a political solution to the Syrian crisis.

 

In a separate meeting with the senators, chaired by Senate President Faisal Fayez, Safadi and the lawmakers discussed in depth the Palestinian cause and Jordan’s positions on related developments.

 

Fayez highlighted the challenges facing the Arab and Islamic nations and the necessities of consolidation and unity to overcome them.

 

He called upon Jordanians to come together to keep Jordan impenetrable in the face of all odds.

 

The minister reviewed with the senators the recent developments in the region and confirmed that Jordan remains steadfast in its positions, a ministry statement said, as Safadi underlined Jordan’s efforts to ensure that the Palestinian people’s rights to freedom and an independent state are realised.

 

Fayez reaffirmed that Jordan, through the wisdom and bravery of His Majesty King Abdullah, the awareness of the people and the strength of its security and military apparatuses, stood fast against any and all odds.

 

“There are fears of what is called the ‘deal of the century’ and its possible repercussions on Jordan and Arab states,” he noted.

 

The deal, which is expected to be announced in June, would resolve the Palestinian cause at the expense of Jordan and Jordanians and deprive the Palestinian people of establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, while settling refugees where they reside, he added.

 

“Any such resolution that does not safeguard the national tenants of Jordan and Palestine, based on anything other than the two-state solution and international legitimacy resolutions, is outright delusional,” Fayez stressed.

 

It serves only the furthering of chaos and conflict in the region, serving no one but the forces of terror and extremism around the world, he emphasised.

 

Voicing the position of the Senate, Fayez reasserted that the House would stand behind the King and his “three noes: No alternative homeland, no settlement and so meddling with the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem”.

 

Safadi underscored that the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the capital of the independent state of Palestine is the foundation and cornerstone for a comprehensive peace.

 

His Majesty efforts tirelessly towards this goal with unwavering commitment to the rights of our Palestinian brethren and Jordan’s principles, he said.

 

As for the Syria crisis, Safadi said that Jordan is working with all stakeholders and parties of the crisis to arrive at a political solution that safeguards the unity and territorial integrity of Syria and its stability, allowing for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees and for the country to resume its role within the joint Arab framework.

 

“Jordan wants the Syrian crisis to end and is doing all that is possible to see it through,” the minister noted.