Ammon News - Amman, (Petra)Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour co-chaired with his Egyptian counterpart Hisham Qandil in Amman meetings of the joint Jordanian-Egyptian higher committee.

Ensour highlighted the importance of the meetings in achieving common interests and in forging closer economic cooperation between the two countries.

He said both Jordan and Egypt are keen to boost bilateral ties at the political, economic, trade and social levels.

Both Jordan and Egypt Ensour added, exerted joint efforts to preserve the rights of Palestinians, adding that both countries will spare no effort to bring about just, comprehensive peace in the region in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

The prime minister hailed meetings held between the two sides on Egyptian gas supplies to the kingdom, and called for the implementation of previous agreements on Egyptian gas exports to Jordan.

Ensour expressed understanding of Egypt's demands on Egyptian workers in Jordan and said measures would be taken to full these demands.

He said the recent measures taken by the government to rectify status of foreign laborers in Jordan is not aimed at Egyptians, as they included other nationalities.

The Egyptian prime minister for his part stressed the need to develop economic and trade relations between the two countries.

He said both Jordan and Egypt face common challenges, stressing the need for further cooperation to address these challenges.

Later, the two prime ministers signed minutes of the joint committee meetings which convened in Amman.

The two prime ministers stressed the importance of Egyptian gas exports to the kingdom in line with signed agreements. The Egyptian side agreed to continue gas exports to Jordan in accordance with quantities agreed upon.

On the Egyptian labor force in Jordan, the kingdom agreed to give a period of sixty days to Egyptians laborers to rectify their status in Jordan.

Both sides also signed a memorandum of understanding to boost labor cooperation between the two countries.

Earlier, the Egyptian prime minister arrived in Amman on an official visit where he was accorded an official welcome as a military band played the national anthem of the two countries.