(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)
Amman, Feb 19 (Petra) –– Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks on Monday on ways to boost bilateral relations, as well as regional issues, including the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis.
The ministers agreed to work to sign agreements and take the necessary steps to finalize a free trade agreement between the two countries to achieve its positive outcome.
They stressed the need to take the necessary measures to benefit from the opportunities available to increase trade and investment, stressing their countries' keenness on enhancing and expanding bilateral relations, now in their 71st year.
Safadi stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue and the need for collective efforts to achieve the Palestinian people's right to freedom and to set up their state along June4, 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
The ministers said they will pursue coordination for progress towards finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis through the Geneva process and on the basis of UN Security Council resolution 2254, which the Syrian people accept, and which preserves the country's unity and independence.
They urged the international community to continue to support the Syrian refugees and assist the host countries in the burden of hosting them.
In a joint press conference with Cavusoglu, Safadi stressed the importance of the Turkish Foreign Minister's visit in translating the decisions taken by His Majesty King Abdullah II and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the three summits they had held since last August, to enhance cooperation and coordination in addressing regional crises and achieve security and stability.
"Our relations are strong and steadily growing as they enter their seventy-first year with momentum and a common interest to expand their horizons in various fields," he said.
The meeting, he said, was an opportunity to discuss the challenges facing enhanced economic relations and the measures that can be taken to benefit from the opportunities for increasing trade, investment and cultural cooperation.
"We agreed on the centrality of the Palestinian issue and the need to solve it on the basis of a two-state solution that guarantees the Palestinian brothers their legitimate right to freedom and to establish their state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and living in peace and security alongside Israel," Safadi said.
He said Jordan and Turkey see eye to eye on Jerusalem and consider the US decision to recognise the city as Israel's capital null and void, as Jerusalem's status should be decided through direct negotiations on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions that consider the city as occupied territory.
For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister said relations between Amman and Ankara had grown significantly, noting that an understanding had been reached to sign a joint coordination mechanism between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
As for bilateral trade, Cavusoglu noted that it is necessary to take steps in the context of trade balance between the two countries, which is currently in Turkey's favor.
He also said there is a full common understanding between the two countries about Jerusalem and on the "wrong" decision of the United States.
"Our two countries believe in peace and in preserving Syria's unity," the Turkish minister stressed, adding that Ankara had "no hidden agenda for Syria" and that "after reaching peace and solving this problem, there will be efforts to rebuild Syria."
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19/2/2018 - 07:23:30 PM
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