Today, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Republic of Turkey received Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, who carried a message from King Abdullah II to him on ways to develop brotherly relations between the two brotherly countries and regional and international developments, and included an invitation from the King to Erdogan to visit the Kingdom.

Al-Safadi conveyed the King’s greetings to the Turkish president, and his keenness to develop cooperation in various fields, in a manner that would be positively reflected on the two brotherly countries.

The Turkish President sent his greetings to the King, stressing the importance of bilateral relations and the need to work to strengthen them and increase cooperation in all fields. The President accepted the King’s invitation, the date of which will be set in coordination between officials in the two countries.

President Erdogan stressed that his country attaches special importance to relations with Jordan and wants to develop them in all fields. During the meeting, which was attended by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, they discussed a number of regional and international issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue.

In addition, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Safadi held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Oglu, during which they discussed the necessary steps and programs to increase economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between the two countries, and raise cooperation to levels that reflect the depth of historical relations.

The two ministers stressed the need to work to find broader horizons for cooperation. The two ministers also discussed regional issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue, and a number of international issues of common interest, including the crisis in Ukraine.

In joint press statements, Safadi expressed his happiness with this visit, as he “transmitted the message of King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein to his brother President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which he held extensive talks with Mevlut Cavusoglu on ways to develop strong brotherly relations in various fields.”

Al-Safadi stressed the strength of Jordanian-Turkish relations, describing them as “fraternal and historical relations, and that there is a lot we want to do together in order to achieve the common benefit of our two countries, as well as contribute to dealing with the regional challenges that we face together.”

He added, “Our meeting today is a continuation of the continuous process of coordination and consultation that we conduct together, which we always speak clearly and frankly, and which always reflects the common desire of our leadership and our countries to find broader horizons in order to increase cooperation in various fields.”

Al-Safadi noted that the talks focused on “the efforts we are making to increase trade, tourism and economic cooperation, and discuss in detail how to find broader areas for cooperation.”

On the joint meetings, Safadi said, “There are meetings of ministers concerned with joint economic and trade issues, during which they will take effective and clear steps to increase this cooperation.”

Al-Safadi pointed out that economic relations are clearly moving forward, “as the volume of trade exchange witnessed a remarkable increase last year compared to the previous year, despite the conditions of the spread of the Corona pandemic,” pointing to the remarkable rise in Jordanian exports to Turkey.

With regard to Turkish tourism to Jordan, Safadi expressed his welcome to the Turkish brothers in Jordan, pointing out the impact of the pandemic on stopping flights between the two countries, and consequently the decrease in their number, noting that with the resumption of flights between the two countries, “the tourism sector will witness more joint cooperation.”

Safadi stated that the talks “are taking place in difficult regional and international conditions,” and that they “included many regional and international issues of common concern, including the Ukrainian crisis.”

The Palestinian issue advanced the talks of Safadi and his Turkish counterpart, “We focused on the regional developments presented, as usual, the Palestinian issue, the central issue, the main issue for us, and we stress the need to move quickly and effectively in order to find a real political horizon for resolving the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution, Which embodies the independent Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital on the lines of June 4, 1967, the only way to achieve peace in accordance with international law, to live in security and peace alongside Israel.”

Safadi stressed, “The current situation cannot continue, and that King Abdullah II is leading intensive efforts to find a real political horizon to return to serious and effective negotiations that will take us towards a just and comprehensive peace,” stressing that Jordan appreciates in this context the Turkish role and the firm Turkish positions in supporting Palestinian rights, and in support of efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace that meets all the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.

He added, “We are continuing our efforts, in coordination with our brothers and the international community, to protect the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace, protect Palestinian rights and protect Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem, based on the Hashemite guardianship of these holy sites, which is an absolute priority for the King.”

Safadi stressed the continuation of consultation and coordination between Jordan and Turkey to achieve security and stability in the region, pointing to efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis in a manner that preserves Syria’s unity, security and stability, and restores its health. He also stressed that “the issue of refugees is a priority for us, as we are two of the largest hosting countries. We coordinate together for the continuation of international support for refugees so that the host countries do not bear the burden of asylum alone, and also to work to ensure the voluntary and safe return of refugees.”

Al-Safadi concluded by saying, “Our conversations, as we have always been accustomed to, are frank and fraternal conversations, and I thank His Excellency for the kind hospitality, and I thank him for the dialogue that reflected the common desire to move our relations forward. Thanks again”.

For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Oglu stated that “Turkey attaches very great importance to the exchange of views and views with the Kingdom, stressing that it attaches great value to Jordan’s positions and views in the region.”

“There are many common challenges, as we share similar understandings on many issues,” Davutoglu added, “that is why we attach great importance to regular consultations with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”

Davutoglu stated that he held a bilateral meeting with Safadi, during which all aspects of bilateral relations were comprehensively and fully evaluated, and the steps that could be taken in various fields were discussed, including; Economic, cultural and educational cooperation.

He noted that the volume of trade between the two countries is close to one billion dollars, and added, “We know that the trade balance is in favor of Turkey, but within a short period the meetings of the Joint Economic Committee will be held between the two countries, and we will plan in relation to these meetings on how to change this balance.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister pointed out that there is an increasing interest from Turkish citizens to visit Jordan and vice versa, “for this reason, at the end of this month, Turkish Airlines will start its flights again from Istanbul to the city of Aqaba, and these flights were interrupted due to the pandemic.”

Regarding the Syrian file, Davutoglu said, “We are working jointly with Jordan regarding the voluntary and safe return of Syrians, and we hope on this issue also to organize and host an international conference at the ministerial level in Turkey.”

On the Palestinian issue, the Turkish minister stressed, “Our views are identical in many matters, and our views are identical on the Palestinian issue and the status of Jerusalem in particular as well, and we attach very great importance, and we support the Hashemite custodianship of the holy places in Jerusalem.”

“We will continue our cooperation in various international forums, especially the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,” Davutoglu concluded.

During the visit, Safadi met Jordan’s Ambassador to Turkey Ismail Al-Rifai and the embassy staff at the embassy building in Ankara, where he followed up on the efforts made by colleagues in coordination with the Ministry’s Operations Center unit to help evacuate Jordanian citizens in Ukraine.

Al-Safadi stressed the importance of continuing to make every possible effort to provide every possible help to Jordanian citizens in these difficult circumstances, and expressed thanks and appreciation for the great efforts made by colleagues in the embassy, ​​which is the accredited embassy in Ukraine, and colleagues in other embassies and at the Ministry’s center.

He stressed that the King’s directives are clear, as serving the Jordanian citizen is a priority, “and we are public servants, and our duty is to serve our citizens with efficiency and dedication.