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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, on Tuesday underscored the importance of building on the "historic relations" between the Arab world and Russia in economic and cultural fields and strengthen coordination to address Middle East crises.

In his speech during the fifth session of the "Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum" that took place in Moscow, Safadi lauded Russia's supportive position of the Palestinian people's right to freedom and to statehood on pre-June 1967 lines with Jerusalem as its capital state as the only viable solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He warned of unilateral Israeli measures that undermine the prospects for the two-state solution and compromises the principle of "land for peace" that constitutes the basis of peaceful efforts, emphasizing that protecting Muslim and Christian sanctities in occupied Jerusalem and preserving its Islamic and Christian Arab identity is a priority for Jordan.

Protecting holy sites and preserving their identity is a historic responsibility, for which His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Custodian over the holy sites of Jerusalem, is putting all of Jordan's capabilities for this purpose, he added.

Safadi said that the current situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is "very dangerous" and that preventing a serious exacerbation of the situation necessitates an intensive international effort to counter unilateral Israeli measures.

The roadmap to achieving peace is very clear and was embodied by the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that constitutes the most comprehensive formula to bring about a comprehensive and lasting peace, he said, emphasizing the need to exert more effort to solve the Syrian crisis and end the killing and destruction in this Arab country.

He pointed out to the unanimous understanding that there is no military solution to the Syria crisis, which requires translating this accord to find a political solution in line with UNSC Resolution No. 2245 that is accepted by the Syrians and would ensure the territorial integrity of Syria.

afadi referred to the Rukban camp issue, saying that Jordan and Russia see eye-to-eye that this issue can be solved by allowing the inhabitants of this camp to return to their hometowns which had been already liberated from the terrorist Daesh group.

He said that terrorism is a common enemy that must be fought at the security and military, as well as ideology levels through a holistic approach that also targets addressing regional crises, anarchy, desperation and injustice.

Turning to another issue, Safadi said there are ample opportunities to expand Arab-Russian cooperation and institutionalizing communication and dialogue mechanisms that will yield benefits for both sides in economic, investment and cultural fields, he said, adding that this will reflect positively on finding solutions to regional crises and addressing common challenges.

He pointed out to the importance of setting up regional ties based on good relations and not interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

He underscored Jordan's position calling for a WMD-free Middle East, pointing out that Jordan will chair the international conference scheduled to take place in New York next year which will discuss prospects for a WMD-free Middle East.

A statement following the meeting was issued commending the pivotal role of the Kingdom in occupied Jerusalem and supporting the steadfastness of its people and for Hashemite custodian ship over its holy sites.

The statement also emphasized the importance to maintain the territorial integrity of Libya and support its efforts in combatting terror. It reaffirmed support to the legitimate government in Yemen and the importance of restoring control over the country through achieving a sustainable diplomatic settlement.

Safadi and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, met on the sidelines of the conference to follow up on discussions that took place during the latter's previous visit to Jordan last week, which discussed means to bolster bilateral cooperation, especially on regional issues.