(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Bavaria, May 8 (Petra) -- Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi on Tuesday said that Jordan values the strong relations with Germany and is keen on developing cooperation with Berlin in the economic, investment, trade and defense fields.
He also affirmed the Kingdom's interest in increasing coordination and intensifying efforts with Germany to overcome regional challenges, solve regional crises, bring about security and stability and achieve lasting and comprehensive peace.
Safadi made the remarks at a meeting of the joint executive council of 42 parliamentarians from the German government coalition parties, the Christian Democratic Union Party, the Christian Social Union Party and the Social Democratic Party.
Safadi, who was the only speaker from outside Germany, stressed the Kingdom's appreciation of Germany's aid for Jordan, as Germany is the second largest supporter of the kingdom.
He pointed out to the importance of the German and European role in the efforts aimed at resolving regional conflicts, enhancing security and stability, achieving peace and enhancing development processes.
During his speech, Safadi discussed developments in the region, especially the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Syrian crisis and its repercussions on the region, in addition to the war on terrorism.
Safadi also outlined the vision of the Kingdom and its policies towards regional challenges and efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II to consolidate security and stability, achieve peace and enhance the values of moderation and respect for the others.
He stressed that the Palestinian issue is the central cause in the region, adding that the only path to realize lasting and comprehensive peace is the two-state solution, which guarantees an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the June 4,1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and living in peace and security side by side with an accepted and recognized Israel.
On Syria, the minister pointed out the need to realize a political solution based on the Geneva talks to preserves Syria's unity and independence and that is accepted by the Syrian people, warning against the continuation of the conflict, which led to a humanitarian disaster that killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
Safadi stressed that terrorism and its consequences do not belong to any civilization or religion, pointing out that the war to defeat it is a security and intellectual one, calling for further security and intelligence cooperation.
He added that the Islamic religion embraces the values of love, peace and respect for the other.
In a joint press conference with the leaders of the executive council of the coalition, Safadi said that breaking the deadlock in the Middle East peace process and creating prospects for progress towards the two-state solution is a priority that must be sought by the international community, warning of the consequences of the continued absence of a solution.
He told reporters that the position of Jordan and all the Arab countries is clear in rejecting the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, stressing that East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state, which is the only way to peace in the region.
The situation was very difficult and the challenge was to prevent a deterioration of the situation by creating a political horizon, he said, pledging that Jordan would continue to work with the United States, Europe and the international community to break the stalemate in order to find a solution based on the agreed-upon terms of reference for the two-state solution.
In response to a question about a possible decision of the US administration to get out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, Safadi said that Jordan is consistent in its policy, which emphasizes the need for the Middle East to be free of all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.
The minister warned of "dangerous repercussions" and a possible arms race in the Middle East unless a political solution was found to free the region of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.
Al-Safadi said urged continued dialogue with Iran, despite what he called widespread concerns among Arab countries about Iran's "interventionism" in the region.
"We all need to work together in making sure that we solve the conflicts of the region ... and strive for a Middle East that is free of all weapons of mass destruction," he told reporters.
"If we do not look at the political picture and ... find a way to ensure that the whole region is free of (these weapons), we'll be looking at a lot of dangerous repercussions that will affect the region in terms of an arms race," he said.
He said that the Kingdom rejects Iranian interference in the affairs of Arab countries and that the Kingdom and all Arab countries emphasize the need to build regional relations on the basis of dialogue and respect for the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.
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8/5/2018 - 09:45:15 PM
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