Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday welcomed Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh, who conveyed to him a verbal message from His Majesty King Abdullah II.

Rouhani expressed his gratitude to the King and commended the deep ties between Jordan and Iran, adding that Tehran was determined to develop economic and cultural relations with the Kingdom.

The Iranian leader said that Jordan is a key player in the Middle East, noting that the Kingdom is suffering from difficulties on three fronts, Palestine, Syria and Iraq, adding that the region's stability is of paramount importance.

He said terrorism in Syria is a key priority in the region, noting that terrorism is preventing access of humanitarian aid and supplies to the Syrian people.

Rouhani said stopping the bloodshed against Muslims is a priority, adding that Syria's future is decided by its people and that the world had to accept the choice of Syrians to arrive at the conditions conducive to holding elections. He urged Syrian-Syrian dialogue and help by the region's countries to the country in order to build a bright future through stability, security and democracy.

Tarawneh, who is in Tehran to attend an Islamic conference, said the historical Jordanian-Iranian ties are built on solid bases, "which compel us to forge stronger relations than any other countries", expressing hope for increased political and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The House speaker said that since the start of the Syrian crisis, Jordan had advocated a political solution and opposed Syrian infighting. He said the Kingdom had suffered from the repercussions of the conflict as its hosts over one million and a quarter of a million Syrians, including 600,000 refugees.

He said Jordan would continue to receive Syrian refugees, but was cautiously dealing with the aftermath of the conflict to ensure weapons and terrorists would not infiltrate the Kingdom.

*Petra