Ammon News -
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, on Monday held talks with his Austrian counterpart, Alexander Schallenberg.
The two minister stressed keenness to bolster cooperation, and agreed to identify specific areas for cooperation as a starting point for a sustainable process to increase cooperation in the economic, commercial, tourism, educational, defense and security fields.
The talks also covered bilateral ties and regional issues.
Following the talks, the two minister signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on political and security cooperation that will frame methodologies for deepening cooperation and implementing the outcomes of His Majesty King Abdullah's visit to Austria late last year.
Safadi and Austria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Schallenberg, who is visiting Jordan for the first time as his country's foreign minister, discussed regional and international issues, primarily the Palestinian issue, and efforts to maintain calm and stop escalation in Jerusalem and its holy sites, which, according to Safadi, can only be done if Israel respects the historical and legal status quo in the holy city.
In a press statement, Safadi and Schallenberg lauded ties between the two countries and opportunities for increasing cooperation in various fields.
Following the meeting, Safadi said that "maintaining the comprehensive calm, ending tension and escalation is a priority for all of us," which is achieved "through Israel's respect for the historical and legal status quo in Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem."
He added that the existing situation means "that the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque / the Holy al-Haram al-Sharif, with its entire area of 144 dunums, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that visits of non-Muslims are organized by the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf's Islamic Awqaf Department, as was the case before the year 2000."
Safadi said, "We have few days until the end of the holy month, and we hope that the escalation will end during this period, and we believe that Israel's decision to stop non-Muslim visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque is a step in the right direction towards implementing the historical and legal situation, and we hope that it will contribute to maintaining calm and ending violence."
He also stressed the need to address the roots of the conflict, by finding a real political horizon for progress in peaceful negotiations towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution.
Safadi called for exerting concerted efforts to find a political horizon, because the continued absence of this horizon is a great danger, and the possibility of a deterioration of the situation exists.
He said that real practical steps must be taken in order to restore confidence in the peace process by activating it in order to reach a two-state solution.
He added that the talks dealt with efforts made for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and support for refugees and host countries.
Safadi warned of the danger of a decline in international support for Syrian refugees, and the need for supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and support for Syrian refugees to remain a priority for the international community to ensure a decent life for refugees.
Safadi expressed his hope that the Brussels meeting on refugees organized by the European Union will result in practical steps to re-highlight the refugee issue and agree on practical mechanisms to assist refugees and host countries.
"We also talked about the Ukrainian crisis, and we stressed the need to reach a solution to this crisis also on the basis of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the principle of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states," Safadi said.
"This is a position of principle for us in the Kingdom, and we support all efforts aimed at reaching a solution to the Ukrainian crisis on this basis and in a manner that preserves Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that "Austria and Jordan share long, historical and distinguished ties, and we were pleased to see His Majesty King Abdullah in Vienna last year." He pointed out that the two countries have a complete and comprehensive vision for cooperation in various fields, including security and economics.
He added that "Jordan is a strong partner, as it is an oasis of stability in a turbulent environment."
"While Austria focuses on the Ukrainian crisis, they do not forget conflicts and crises in other regions," Schallenberg noted, adding that Austria have provided 25 million euros to refugees in the Middle East, and also provided economic aid to Jordan as part of this support. He also said that his visit comes within a week of difficult events.
Schallenberg commended Jordanian efforts to stop the escalation, saying, "I frankly appreciate and thank your efforts to calm the situation in this tense situation, and I value the custodianship over the holy sites."
He stressed the need to find political and economic prospects to achieve peace, pointing out that he will meet his Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Al-Malki, in Ramallah tomorrow.
The Austrian minister thanked the Jordanian government for hosting refugees and his countries appreciation for the burdens it bears.
He added, "The European Union stands by Jordan and we will continue to assist you." He pointed out that last year his country and the European Union provided more than 180 million euros in aid to respond to the Syrian crisis, and that it is working to provide the same amount this year.
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