FM holds talks with Canadian counterpart

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau on Thursday held talks that focused on the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

They also went over international efforts aimed at finding a political solution and resuming negotiations between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides to realise a just and permanent peace based on the two-state solution, in addition to halting Israeli practices that undermine opportunities to realise peace in the region. 

During a joint press conference at the ministry’s headquarters in Amman, Safadi said discussions also covered means to develop the “distinguished” relations between the two countries and regional and international developments of mutual interests, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. 

Safadi said that Garneau’s visit to the Kingdom is an indicator of “deep-rooted” ties between Amman and Ottawa and joint keenness to continue deliberations aimed at further enhancing cooperation and ties that are based on joint values to provide a better life for peoples.

The minister also conveyed greetings to his Canadian minister on the occasion of his country’s national day that is annually celebrated on July 1. 

He also expressed condolences over the victims of the heat wave that hit Canada.

The minister said that the meeting was based on previous dialogues between His Majesty King Abdullah and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over years of communication and joint action to increase cooperation in the commercial, economic, investment, security, defence and anti-terrorism fields. 

Safadi also noted that Canada has a main role in supporting development efforts in the region, referring to joint efforts, through several programmes over years, to activate cooperation in the field, and praising the support of Canada for several programmes that seek to achieve social and economic development in the Kingdom. 

He added that the meeting was an opportunity to talk excessively about regional causes, mainly the Palestinian issue and efforts aimed at reaching a political ground towards achieving a comprehensive and everlasting peace according to the two-state solution, international law and international legitimacy resolutions. 

Work must be directed to instil stability in the entire Palestinian territories, and to realise that, Safadi said, calling for stopping any procedures that can “fuel the conditions” or those that can undermine peace opportunities, mainly through respecting the legal and historical status quo at Al Haram Al Sharif. 

In this regard, the minister stressed that His Majesty is the Custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, noting that the Kingdom, in this capacity, is continuing its efforts to maintain the historical and legal status quo in the city and to prevent any violations that can have very difficult repercussions in the region, according to the statement.

He stressed that the Kingdom’s position towards the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem reflects Jordan’s respect for the right of residents to their homes, especially that Jordan considers their forcible displacement a war crime according to international law, stressing the importance of reconstruction in Gaza. 

Meanwhile, Safadi added that the Jordanian-Canadian joint stance highlights the significance of continue working under the framework of the international coalition to defeat terrorism that poses a joint threat to all, noting that terrorism has no relation to any religion nor the true values of Islam that calls for love and respect to others. 

He also expressed appreciation for the continuous support of Canada to Syrian refugees and host countries, in addition to the assistance presented to UNRWA that suffers from an acute deficit in financing. 

In this regard, the minister noted that the Kingdom is scheduled to hold a conference at the end of the year in partnership with Sweden to mobilise political and financial support to the UN agency so that it can continue offering its vital services to Palestinian refugees. 

What matters now is that the US has decided to resume support to UNRWA, he said, noting that Washington used to offer some 42 per cent of the UNRWA budget, which, when stopped, created a big gap. 

As for the trilateral Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation, Safadi stressed that the mechanism is based on the integration aspects between the three countries in the economic, commercial and investment fields, among others.  

Regarding the drop in international support to refugees, host countries and relevant UN organisations, Safadi stressed that the refugee crisis should not be shouldered only by host countries, reiterating that it is a joint responsibility of host and donor countries.

Meanwhile, Garneau said that it is his first visit to the Kingdom as foreign minister, stressing that both countries enjoy “close” ties and that the Kingdom is an “important” partner in the Middle East, where Canada, since 2016, has honoured pledges worth 575 million Canadian dollars to support development, humanitarian assistance, stability and security assistance to Jordan. 

He said that the visit to Jordan seeks to enhance the decade-long partnership to promote peace, security and trade in the region, in addition to convey Canada’s “strong” support to the Kingdom and listen to its views on important issues. 

The Canadian minister also noted that he is scheduled to visit occupied Palestinian territories and Israel to discuss efforts aimed at ending the occupation and realising a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, stressing the importance of the visit to the Kingdom due to its main role in the peace process in the Middle East, according to the statement.