Crown Prince meets Singapore president, expresses keenness to enhance partnership

AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein on Friday met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at Istana Palace.

Crown Prince Hussein conveyed the greetings and congratulations of His Majesty King Abdullah to the Singaporean president on his election win late last year, stressing Jordan’s keenness to work more closely with Singapore, and to further enhance the deep-rooted strategic relations between the two countries, based on shared values, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Royal Highness commended the expanding ties between the two countries over the past decades, which were deepened further through the exchange of visits, expressing pride in the level of cooperation between Jordan and Singapore in various fields.

The Crown Prince highlighted the importance of the agreements signed between the two countries on Thursday, covering wide areas of mutual interest.

His Royal Highness commended the Singaporean model in progress, modernisation and human resource development.

For his part, the Singapore president stressed the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and commended the exchange of high-level visits.

The meeting also covered developments in the Middle East, with the Crown Prince noting that Jordan continues to dedicate its efforts towards peace and security, despite the difficult situation in the region.

His Royal Highness thanked Singapore’s president for his country’s humanitarian response in Gaza and its donations to UNRWA, in light of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis that Gazans face as a result of the ongoing war.

The Crown Prince reiterated Jordan’s steadfast belief that the region will not reach peace nor stability and will keep witnessing consecutive and growing cycles of violence in the absence of a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

His Royal Highness stressed the need to coordinate with Singapore and other partners and friends to counter violence in the region and the world.

The Crown Prince also pointed to interfaith dialogue as an issue of utmost priority, noting that interfaith harmony is a value that Jordan and Singapore share.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh, Planning Minister Zeina Toukan, Jordan’s Ambassador to Singapore Samer Naber, and Director of the Office of the Crown Prince Zaid Baqain attended the meeting.

A number of ministers and senior officials attended the meeting from the Singaporean side.

Earlier, an official welcoming ceremony was held for His Royal Highness, accompanied by HRH Princess Rajwa Al Hussein, upon arrival at Istana Palace, where they were received by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching.