King participates in tech-focused Aqaba meetings hosted by US

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday participated in the latest round of the Aqaba meetings, hosted by the US in partnership with Jordan, to coordinate and follow up on international efforts to counter terrorism.

This round of meetings, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, included the participation of political and security officials from various countries and representatives of international organisations and technology firms, a Royal Court statement said.

Discussions focused on ways to counter attempts by terrorist and extremist groups to exploit technology, the Internet and social media platforms to spread their propaganda and ideologies, according to the statement.

The Aqaba meetings are a series of international meetings launched by King Abdullah in 2015 to bolster security and military cooperation, coordination and exchange of expertise among regional and international partners to counter terrorism within a holistic approach.

The US is the third country to host the Aqaba meetings outside Jordan, after it was held last year in The Netherlands in November and in Albania in June.

On the sidelines of the Aqaba meetings, His Majesty met with US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Undersecretary General of the UN Counter-Terrorism Office Vladimir Voronkov, in two separate meetings, the statement added. 

The discussions covered matters of bilateral cooperation as well as anti-terrorism efforts within a comprehensive strategy.