Senate president calls on European Parliament to support peace in region

AMMAN — Senate President Faisal Fayez on Tuesday urged the European Parliament on Tuesday to support the Kingdom's efforts to cease Israeli aggression in Gaza and achieve lasting peace in the region.

During a meeting between the Senate's European Parliamentary Friendship Committee and the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with the Mashreq Countries, chaired by Isabel Santos, Fayez called for stopping Israel's aggression against the Palestinian people and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Fayez also highlighted His Majesty King Abdullah's efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, aligning with international legitimacy resolutions and the two-state solution in a way that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian national territory, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Expressing concern over international silence regarding the genocide against Palestinian people, Fayez commended the "free voices" that condemn Israel's crimes and atrocities against the Palestinians.

Fayez also commended the EU economic support to Jordan as part of the strategic partnership between the two sides. He also noted the significant impact of this assistance in enabling Jordan to confront economic challenges arising from regional instability and hosting around 1.3 million Syrian refugees.

Addressing the Jordanian response plan to the Syrian crisis, developed in collaboration with the international community to alleviate economic burdens, Fayez highlighted that the Kingdom has received less than 21 per cent of pledged funds. Consequently, Jordan bears approximately 80 per cent of the response plan's cost.

Isabel Santos emphasised the strategic partnership with Jordan to foster peace, stability and tolerance in the region. She also praised the existing relations between EU countries and Jordan, noting that EU nations have nearly reached a unified stance towards the Israeli war on Gaza. 

Santos also referred to the recent UN Security Council resolution and the approval by European countries to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

Muhammad Momani, head of the Senate's committee, underscored the importance of strengthening partnership between Jordan and the EU across various fields. He also expressed the aspiration to further expand this partnership and implement additional cooperation programmes in various sectors.