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Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Friday met in Prague with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.

The meeting covered ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and regional and international developments.

The two ministers expressed joint keenness to expand the cooperation between the two countries in all fields, especially economic, investment, tourism, medical, energy and defense.

They agreed to prepare for holding the second meeting of the Jordanian-Czech joint committee during the first half of next year to enhance economic cooperation and discuss mechanisms for increasing the volume of trade exchange, in addition to maximizing the benefit from opportunities available in Jordan and the Czech Republic.

In a joint press conference after the talks, Safadi said that he and his Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky had a "deep, warm and constructive discussiom" that complemented talks held recently by His Majesty King Abdullah with Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on the sidelines of the COP27 Conference in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh, which confirmed the strength of the Jordanian-Czech relationship and the common will to reflect it into broader cooperation and greater coordination in many fields.

He said that Jordanian-Czech ties and cooperation are strong within the framework of partnership with the European Union and the NATO. "There is a wide space for increasing this cooperation, which will reflect positively on the two friendly countries."

"The Covid-19 pandemic or the Ukrainian crisis has proven that we need to work together extensively. Challenges are common, and our joint work is the best way to face these challenges," Safadi said.

He added that he briefed Lipavsky on the Kingdom's economic reform program, and economic and investment opportunities it provides in many vital sectors, especially renewable energy, water, agriculture and tourism.

"Our region suffers many crises, and resolving them is a condition for achieving the security, peace and stability that we all want," he said..
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He added, "The Palestinian cause for us in Jordan is the main and central cause. We are continuing our efforts, in coordination with our brothers and partners, in order to achieve a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, according to the two-state solution, which will lead to the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state on the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital to live in peace and security alongside Israel."

The foreign minister addressed crises of Syria, refugees, migration and Ukraine and called for concreted efforts to resolve them.

 

For his part, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that Jordan is a key partner in the region for the Czech Republic and the European Union, stressing the need to support partners in the region.

He expressed appreciation for Jordan's efforts to provide a decent life for a large number of refugees and their families, pointing out to his country's support for these efforts through development and health support programs such as the MEDEVAC program, which provided health care to more than 3000 Syrian refugees, and the Czech Reconstruction Program in the Middle East, which provides Czech in-kind donations to implement small projects in Jordan.

He added that Jordan constitutes an encouraging market for Czech companies, and provides access to various regional markets, pointing out to the high level cooperation between the two countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

He expressed hope that the the next year would witness practical steps that would enhance joint cooperation in of energy, health, tourism, defense, information technology, and other fields.

In addition, Safadi met with President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Milos Vystrcil, in the presence of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a number of the Senate members.

The meeting covered bolstering cooperation between the two countries, including in the parliamentary field. It also reviewed latest developments and regional issues of common concern.

Safadi spoke in a dialogue session organized by the Institute of International Affairs in Prague, moderated by former Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, about the Kingdom's vision on regional and international developments and issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, and efforts to resolve crises.

Diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and the Czech Republic date back to 1993, while diplomatic relations with Czechoslovakia were established in 1964.