(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) His Majesty King Abdullah II, on Sunday, stressed the importance of addressing regional challenges and national issues in a balanced manner to safeguard supreme national interests.

This came during a meeting with the Senate President and heads of upper house committees to discuss with them national priorities as well as regional developments.

His Majesty said the Kingdom's economic plan for the next ten years is a national priority that everyone should work on in collaboration to achieve its objectives.

With regard to counter-terrorism and -extremism efforts, King Abdullah said: "We, as Arab and Muslim countries, are part of a moderate coalition against terrorists and extremists, but at the same time, I assure everyone that we always strive for the advancement and development of our country." "There is a war within Islam, there are problems in Syria and Iraq, and we must find solutions to them, but there must be a balance between the war against extremism and our work for the development of our country economically and socially at the same time," the King added.

The senators urged increased public awareness through the media, as well as, through educational and religious institutions, on the true values of Islam and the need to combat the ideology of terrorism and radicalism.