Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman Safadi, will leave on Monday to Damascus on an official visit, during which he will discuss with Syrian officials the file of bilateral relations, as well as the file of Arab relations with Syria and the initiative to solve the crisis.

On Sunday, at the Al-Hussein Cultural Center, as part of the evenings of the Amman Salon, which is organized by the Greater Amman Municipality, Al-Safadi discussed the new Jordanian approach towards Syria and its crisis, which culminated in Syria’s return to the Arab League, and said, “Jordan is the most affected after the Syrian people by the continuation of the Syrian crisis.”

Al-Safadi explained that “the international approach in dealing with the Syrian crisis was focused on managing the crisis and maintaining the status quo.”

Al-Safadi stressed that Jordan is considered affected by the international approach, as well as the Syrian people, so the new Jordanian approach, which turned into an initiative adopted by the Arabs, was to restore Syria and open up to it, search for a solution to the crisis, support internal Syrian reconciliation, and stop all challenges and dangers that threaten neighboring countries, led by Jordan. , which suffers from drug smuggling, security challenges, and the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis in light of the decline in international support for the host countries.”

Al-Safadi indicated that the Arab Coordination Committee with Syria continues its dialogues and efforts with the Syrian government to implement the commitments of the Amman Declaration that followed the Jeddah Arab Conference, expressing optimism that the Syrian government will respond to the requirements of the Arab initiative to resolve the crisis.

He pointed out that King Abdullah II and Jordanian diplomacy have worked hard to market the Jordanian approach to resolving the Syrian crisis, and it found a positive echo with many international actors, but it also still faces some obstacles that we hope to solve and overcome.

Al-Safadi reviewed the great burdens imposed by the Syrian refugee file on Jordan, and on its infrastructure and services, including health, education and work, pointing out that international support and response to the issue of these refugees and the host countries have declined significantly, and Jordan is striving to urge the international community to abide by its commitments in this context.

Al-Safadi indicated that the response by the Syrian government is positive regarding the Jordanian efforts, expressing his hope that solutions will be reached between the two sides with the aim of advancing the course of dealing with the repercussions imposed by the current events 12 years ago.

Al-Safadi stressed the need to enable Syrian refugees to return to their country and to create all appropriate conditions, Syria and internationally, to convince them of the need to return to their homeland, indicating that this is a national, Syrian, Arab and international interest, and Jordan is intensifying its efforts in cooperation with the international community with the aim of implementing practical steps that support their return.

Al-Safadi reaffirmed Jordan’s firm position by adhering to all options to protect its borders and stability from the dangers posed by the Syrian borders, on top of which are drug smuggling, security challenges and the presence of some militias.

Petra