Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II, on Wednesday, met with a group of French business leaders and called for further cementing economic cooperation between Jordan and France, highlighting an investment-friendly climate the Kingdom enjoys.

The King stressed the need to open further scopes of economic cooperation between the two private sectors in both countries and pointed out that Jordan has become a regional investment hub thanks to lucrative environment and qualified manpower.

Jordan's strategic geographic location and the stability and security it enjoys made it a magnet for investments, the King told the meeting held at the "Mouvement des entreprises de France (MEDEF)". Elsewhere, His Majesty the King met with a group of French intellectuals, political leaders and academics and discussed with them a number of Middle East issues and ways to resolve challenges and crises in the region.

The King renewed the call for intensifying international efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations that address all final status issues, according to the two-state solution, the Arab peace initiative and international legitimacy resolutions.

He also called for a concerted international-regional effort to rebuild what was destroyed by the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, adding that Jordan will continue to provide all forms of support and humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people.

Regarding Syria, the King emphasized the need to bring about a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis. He spoke about major burdens borne by Jordan as a result of hosting a large number of Syrian refugees on its territory; a thing that requires additional international support, he said.

He warned that terrorism poses a direct and serious threat to the security and stability of the region's countries and peoples, which requires active and united international cooperation to counter this threat and curb terrorist organizations.

His Majesty reiterated Jordan's support for all regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, which have nothing to do with Islam, but is a product of unresolved challenges and problems facing the region.

King Abdullah called for promoting the values of tolerance, coexistence and moderation that underline the essence of Islam, referring to the "Amman Message" and "A Common Word" initiatives which Jordan launched to entrench a culture of dialogue, understanding and acceptance of the other as alternatives to intolerance, hatred and extremism.

*Petra