Ammon News - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, met on Tuesday with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, in Bucharest.
The meeting was held at the beginning of an official visit, which focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in economic, trade and food security
fields.
Ciuca underlined Romania's keenness to develop the existing ties between the two countries, lauding Jordan's key role in promoting security and stability in the region.
Safadi said that Jordan seeks to find broader horizons for cooperation and mutual benefit, expressing his appreciation for Romania's supportive stances for developing Jordan's relations with the European Union (EU).
Safadi held extensive talks with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu, during which they stressed the two countries' keenness to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields within the framework of partnership with the EU.
The two ministers highlighted areas and programs that were agreed upon as priorities to increase cooperation between the two countries, during their meeting in Amman last year. They also reviewed the practical steps taken in this regard to enhance the level of cooperation between the two countries.
The two parties discussed cooperation in the field of food security and Jordan's imports of wheat from Romania, stressing the importance of cooperation in the agricultural field.
The two ministers signed the amended protocol for the cooperation program in the fields of education, culture, tourism and media, according to which Romania will increase the number of grants from 10 to 26 annually.
They also agreed to hold a meeting of the two consular departments in the two ministries to agree on steps to facilitate the granting of visas to enter Romania, and to hold the second round of political consultations as soon as possible to determine the cooperation agenda and priorities in the next stage.
The two ministers discussed efforts to activate the peace process and achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, and prospects for resolving regional crises, especially the Syrian crisis.
In joint press remarks, Safadi said that the in-depth dialogue he held with his Romanian counterpart confirms the depth of the friendship relations between Jordan with Romania and the common desire to increase cooperation in various fields in a way that benefits both countries and also contributes to joint efforts to find solutions to regional crises that impact all parties.
He described as "strong" the relations between the two countries "which have developed through years of positive interaction, and through the humanitarian factor".
He pointed out that a number of Jordanians came to Romania as "students and returned to Jordan to contribute to the development process."
"We are proud that there is a generation of Romanian Jordanians who form an additional bridge to develop the relationship between the two countries," Safadi said.
He thanked Romania for its commitment to continue supplying wheat to the Kingdom, noting that "Romania is the largest supplier of wheat, and despited the crisis that impacted the supply this basic commodity, we were always confident that we would continue to obtain our wheat needs from Romania."
Safadi welcomed the nomination of the Romanian embassy as a point of contact for NATO in Amman, as of next year, explaining that it would be an opportunity to discuss how to increase cooperation between Jordan and NATO.
Safadi spoke about the ongoing cooperation in the field of defense and combating terrorism.
He said that Romania is a key partner in the Aqaba process, which was launched by His Majesty King Abdullah as a platform for pooling efforts and institutionalizing action to confront terrorism, which poses a challenge to all parties.
He also said that Romania is part of the region and has a long history of relationships with the Middle East.
He expressed appreciation for Romania's support for efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution, which is the only way to achieve peace that is a strategic option and a necessity for regional and international security.
"Jordan continues its efforts with its friends in Romania, with our brothers in the region, and with the international community in order to find a real political horizon that would allow a return to serious and effective negotiations to achieve peace on the basis of the two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of the independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital to live in security and peace alongside Israel in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy," Safadi underscored.
Safadi stressed the importance of finding a political solution to the Syrian crisis, and urged the international community to continue to provide refugees with the support they need.
Furthermore, Safadi expressed Jordan's appreciation for Romania's firm position in supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and ensuring its ability to provide its services.
For his part, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said that "the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a reliable friend of Romania in the Middle East and an important economic partner".
He added that the diplomatic and political dialogue between the Kingdom and Romania "is at an excellent level."
He noted that Jordan is a pillar of regional stability, and a true partner of Romania in the Middle East and the Euro-Atlantic region.
He stressed that Romania appreciates the Kingdom's main role as a stabilizing factor in the region, and will remain a strong supporter of Jordan's relations with the EU and NATO.
He also expressed his appreciation for the role of His Majesty King Abdullah as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, stressing his country's position in support of preserving the status quo in the holy sites in Jerusalem.
Aurescu pointed out that "agriculture is one of the most important areas of cooperation between Romania and Jordan, and Romania is a major supplier of wheat to Jordan, and we bear full responsibility for this strategic and real role in the current international context."
He added that they discussed "cooperation in several areas, such as defense, labor, social security, transportation, energy, health, education, cyber security, and others."
He stressed keenness "to continue to stimulating the level of trade exchange, which amounted to more than $480 million in 2021, as trade exchange increased by more than 60 per cent compared to 2020".
He said that during the meeting, they talked about organizing a new session for the Joint Economic Cooperation Committee, as well as encouraging the exchange of visits between businessmen and companies in the two countries through a business forum.
He also welcomed the organization of the 12th Jordanian-Romanian Conference on Medicine and Pharmacology, which was recently held under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna Al-Hussein.
On the other hand, Safadi held two separate meetings with President of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, and President of the Chamber of Deputies' Committee for Foreign Policy, President of the Jordanian-Romanian Friendship Committee, Rozalia Biro.
The two meetings covered frameworks for enhancing cooperation between the two countries, including strengthening cooperation with the Jordanian Parliament, intensifying meetings, communication and consolidating joint cooperation.
On the other hand, Safadi met with head of the Jordanian community in Romania, Samir Zanoun, and a number of members of the Jordanian community and the Crisis Cell, who provided assistance in evacuating Jordanian citizens from Ukraine to the Kingdom through the Romanian territories.
He stressed that serving Jordanian citizens is a priority, stressing keenness of the ministry and the Jordanian missions to implement royal directives in this regard and the importance of providing all possible assistance and the necessary support to Jordanian expatriates by Jordanian missions abroad.
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