Ammon News - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, met Monday with Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra.
The meeting covered ways to enhance partnership bilaterally and within the European Union (EU).
Safadi and Hoekstra, who is visiting Jordan for the first time, discussed many regional and international issues, foremost of which was the Palestinian cause, and Arab effort aimed to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
The two ministers lauded the Jordanian-Dutch ties and agreed to hold a new session of political consultations to set priorities for cooperation in the next phase, with a focus on water and agricultural sectors.
In a post meeting press conference, Safadi said that talks he held with his Dutch counterpart covered cooperation between the two countries in several fields, including economic, investment, defense and security spheres, with a focus on agricultural and water sectors in light of the Kingdom's focus on these two sectors and the Dutch relevant expertise.
"Today, we are building on a solid foundation of strong relations that unite the two royal families in the two kingdoms, and in the context of our partnership, which we see as a great benefit in sustaining and developing them," Safadi said.
Safadi added that he briefed Minister Hoekstra on the latest developments related to the Syrian crisis, and on the new Arab political track that was launched after the Jeddah and Amman meetings, and came under the umbrella of the Arab League yesterday.
Safadi stressed that the Arab League meeting yesterday and its decision to cancel the freezing of Syria's membership in it came within the framework of a leading Arab effort to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis, ending this catastrophe and dealing with all its humanitarian, security and political consequences, according to a step-by-step methodology, and in line with the international legitimacy decisions.
"In the region, We are the most affected country by the Syrian crisis. This crisis has caused many disasters, and the crisis management methodology that has been adopted over the past years has produced nothing but more devastation, destruction, and suffering for the Syrians, and threats to us in the region and in the world as well. Therefore, steps had to be taken that would gradually take us towards solving this crisis," Safadi added.
He said that there is an understanding of the difficulty and complexities of the solution path in light of the many issues that must be dealt with. "However, we started and are continuing on this path because the disengagement option is to continue with the status quo, which we, as neighboring countries, cannot continue to deal with."
Safadi added that his talks with the Dutch foreign minister discussed the Palestinian cause, which is a priority for the Kingdom, and that he briefed Hoekstra on King Abdullah's efforts to stop the deterioration and find a political horizon leading towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, which embodies the independent Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, on the pre-June 4, 1967 borders, to live in peace and security alongside Israel.
Safadi said peace is a right for all the region's peoples, and warned against the continued absence of a political horizon, accompanied by steps that undermine the feasibility of the two-state solution and push for further escalation.
He expressed appreciation for the Netherlands' firm position in support of peace efforts and for the two-state solution.
On refugees, Safadi thanked the Netherlands for the support it provides to refugees and host countries. He explained that dealing with the refugees issue cannot be the responsibility of the host countries only, but rather an international responsibility, and the international community must provide the necessary support to refugees, the concerned United Nations organizations and host countries, to provide refugees with a decent life.
For his part, the Dutch minister expressed appreciation for Jordan's role and efforts to achieve regional stability and for hosting refugees.
Hoekstra thanked Jordan for supporting the evacuation mission of Dutch citizens from Sudan via Jordan to their country, and said that Jordan's role was pivotal in the operation.
Hoekstra said that Jordan is a key and important partner for the Netherlands, lauding ties between the two kingdoms. He expressed hope for opening broader prospects for cooperation in the future.
He voiced his country's keenness to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, and provide assistance to Jordan in many sectors, especially agricultural and water sectors.
Hoekstra said that the two kingdoms are working together to deal with many challenges, such as climate change and refugee crises.
Responding to a question, Safadi said that the Kingdom appreciates the continuous support provided to Jordan by the Netherlands to help it face economic challenges and the burden of asylum, whether at the bilateral level or through EU institutions.
Safadi pointed out to the decline in international support for refugees, calling for providing appropriate support to refugees, host countries and concerned international organizations, stressing the need to empower these organizations, in light of their vital and essential role.
He also called for supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose primary role in providing vital services to refugees is irreplaceable.
He expressed appreciation for the Netherlands' support to the UNRWA and reaffirmed Jordan's continued efforts to mobilize financial and political support for the UN agency.
Commenting on reports on bombing a drug factory in southern Syria, Safadi said, "When we take any step to protect our national security and confront any threat to it, we will announce it in a timely manner. With regard to the issue of drugs, as we emphasized previously, it is a great threat to the Kingdom, the region, and the world as well, in light of the escalation of drug smuggling. The Amman meeting dealt with this issue and we had an agreement with the brothers in the Syrian government to form a joint political and security team to confront this danger and end it completely."
"We will keep working towards forming this committee, and I will contact His Excellency the Syrian Foreign Minister soon to discuss how to reflect this agreement into a clear working mechanism that helps us confront this danger and limit it. We are in contact and our channels are open with the Syrian government," Safadi added.
Responding to a question on increasing the Dutch government's support provided to the Kingdom to reduce its burdens, the Dutch minister said, "Jordan is making a great and exceptional effort to host refugees, compared to its population, at a rate that is one of the largest in the world," adding, "We need solidarity for this, and these are issues we discussed, and there are messages that we will take to the European Council, and there are many discussions."
Commenting on tourism cooperation, Hoekstra said, "Petra is one of the wonders of the world, and it is a great tourist destination, and we encourage citizens in the Netherlands to visit it, and visit the Kingdom," noting that opportunities exist for business development, and tourism is part of it.
Diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms date back to 1951. The volume of trade exchange last year amounted to $388 million. The Netherlands was the first destination for Jordanian exports to Europe last year, as Jordanian exports to the Netherlands last year amounted to $174 million.
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