Jordan, Malaysia review anti-crime cooperation

AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad on Thursday discussed cooperation in fighting crime and other security-related issues with foreign envoys.

He met separately with Malaysian Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup, US Ambassador in Amman Alice G. Wells and Belgian Ambassador in Amman Hendrik van de Velde.

Hammad and Kurup discussed cooperation in combating crime and terrorism, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The interior minister commended the Malaysian experience in achieving economic growth that enabled the southeast Asian country to overcome difficulties and challenges facing it.

Talks covered the Syrian crisis and its effects on Jordan, with Hammad stressing the need to forge an inclusive political approach that would help end bloodshed and save the region from any further repercussions of the five-year-old conflict.

The Malaysian minister praised Jordan as a peacemaker and a “role model to be followed in the Middle East”.

He voiced his country’s commitment to boosting cooperation with Jordan in different sectors.

At the meeting with the US envoy, Hammad highlighted the importance of exchanging security expertise and training programmes, proposing reciprocal visits between the two sides in a bid to boost cooperation and coordination in combating crime.

Moreover, he said achieving international security requires intensifying joint efforts at the international level.

Wells, according to Petra, commended the Jordanian government’s reform efforts in the different political and economic fields.

At the meeting with Velde, the two officials discussed enhancing cooperation in security fields as well as developments in the Middle East.

Hammad stressed the importance of exchanging expertise between the two countries.

The minister also highlighted the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on the Kingdom, noting the burden of hosting Syrian refugees surpasses Jordan’s abilities and limited resources, according to Petra.