Ammon News - His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday departed for Italy at the start of a working visit to Europe that will include stops in Hungary and Slovenia.

During the tour, His Majesty will discuss ways to strengthen relations between Jordan and these countries and develop areas of cooperation, in service of mutual interests, and to enhance stability in the region.

The King, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, will meet with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Pope of the Vatican, at the Vatican for the first time since the Pope’s inauguration.

In Rome, His Majesty will meet with Italy President Sergio Mattarella. Moreover, the King and Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will chair a new round of the Aqaba Process meetings, an initiative launched by His Majesty in 2015 to strengthen cooperation between countries to combat terrorism and extremism at the international level.

The Aqaba Process meetings initiative covers different regions of the world to discuss emerging challenges and has achieved success over the years.

In Budapest, the King will hold meetings with Hungary President Tamás Sulyok, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and members of the Hungarian Parliament.

His Majesty is participating in the Southern European Countries Summit (MED 9), chaired by Slovenia. The King has been invited to participate in the summit for the second consecutive year and is the only leader invited from outside Southern Europe.

His Majesty is also holding talks in the capital Ljubljana with the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and Prime Minister Robert Golob.

His Royal Highness Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein was sworn in as Regent, in the presence of Cabinet members.