FM delivers King’s letter to Cyprus president

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday delivered a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.

The letter expressed congratulations to the Cypriot president on assuming his constitutional duties and emphasised His Majesty’s keenness to strengthen the "long-standing" friendship and bilateral relations between the two countries, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The letter also extended an invitation from His Majesty to President Christodoulides to visit the Kingdom, which the president welcomed, expressing his desire to further enhance cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, Christodoulides praised His Majesty's leadership and the Kingdom's important role in the region in addressing issues and enhancing security and stability.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss enhancing cooperation and coordination between Jordan and Cyprus on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

It also addressed the European Union partnership framework and the tripartite cooperation mechanism with Greece, also covering several regional issues, with a focus on the Palestinian conflict.

During his visit to Cyprus, Safadi held extensive talks with his counterpart Constantinos Kombos, reaffirming their shared desire to further enhance ties between the two nations. 

Talks focused on measures to improve bilateral cooperation in a variety of industries, particularly trade, tourism, defence and security, in the context of Jordan’s partnership with the European Union and the tripartite cooperation mechanism with Greece.

Several regional and international issues were also discussed, including the Palestinian cause, efforts to address the Syrian crisis, the situation in Lebanon, endeavours to support Iraq, the fight against terrorism, developments in Sudan, the Ukrainian crisis and initiatives to promote regional security and stability.

On behalf of their respective governments, the two ministers signed an agreement of cooperation in education and culture for the years 2023-2026.

In joint press statements following the talks, Safadi indicated that he and his Cypriot counterpart discussed opportunities to advance the two countries’ partnership in trade, investment, tourism, defence and security, noting that "the foundation is solid, the political will is strong and the horizons are wide".

Commenting on His Majesty’s invitation for President Christodoulides to visit Jordan, Safadi assured that he and Kombos would work diligently to ensure that the visit would be fruitful and culminate in concrete results, such as the signing of agreements and the development of business and governmental collaboration. 

Safadi also noted that discussions with his Cypriot counterpart cover the Palestinian issue, with Cyprus' position in favour of the two-state solution. The foreign minister pointed to the urgent need for serious action to find a real political ground enabling a return to sincere and effective negotiations based on the two-state solution.

He emphasised the importance of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 borders. Such a state would promote peace and security between Palestine and Israel and prove to be a strategic choice for all parties, and a requirement for regional stability.

On the Syrian crisis, Safadi said: “This crisis lasted for a long time, and caused a lot of suffering, destruction and pain". 

He added that the Kingdom is involved in efforts, in partnership with other Arab countries, to establish a leading role among the Arab nations to find a political solution that addresses  the crisis' consequences, preserves Syria's unity and integrity, restores its security and stability and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.

Jordan is currently home to some 1.3 million Syrian refugees, comprising 20 per cent of the Kingdom's population, Safadi said, emphasising that providing a decent life for Syrian refugees is a shared obligation that cannot be shouldered by host communities alone.

Safadi praised the nations that supported Jordan in its efforts to offer Syrian refugees good standards of living, including Cyprus.  The foreign minister expressed his hope that this support would continue.

Moving to the current situation in Sudan, Safadi remarked on the “very sad”  nature of the conflict, urging the disputing parties to immediately halt hostilities and initiate negotiations in order to avoid a civil war.

The evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan is the current top humanitarian priority, Safadi said, noting that Jordan is ready to offer any assistance necessary to evacuate Cypriot citizens from the country, as the Kingdom served as a base for flights to evacuate nationals of other countries from Sudan to Jordan.

As for the long-standing political issue brought on by the division of the island of Cyprus, Safadi reiterated Jordan’s clear position in support of a comprehensive, just and lasting solution based on UN resolutions and in line with the principles of international law.

For his part, Kombos stressed that Jordan is “one of the pillars of stability” in the region, adding that "Cyprus strongly supports boosting relations between the EU and Jordan, and will continue to do so."

He also noted his country's commitment to the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Cyprus, Jordan and Greece, noting that Cyprus has completed preparations for the next summit at the leadership level, to be hosted in Nicosia later this year.

On regional issues, Kombos and Safadi exchanged views on the situation in Syria, and discussed Jordan’s initiative to find a gradual solution to this crisis.

Cyprus and Greece have agreed that the ongoing war in Syria is unacceptable, the Cypriot minister said, adding that the political settlement of the crisis must comply with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254, and without any delay.

He also commended Jordan's role in hosting more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees, calling on the international community to further its support for such efforts.

Kombos noted that he and Safadi also spoke about the evacuation missions from Sudan which have occurred over the past few days. The minister expressed his appreciation for the evacuation of Cypriot citizens, launched from the Kingdom and carried out by The Netherlands. 

Regarding the Palestinian issue, Kombos expressed his country’s deep concern ovre the situation in the West Bank, and reaffirmed Cyprus’ support for the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on pre-1967 lines.

The Cypriot minister also stressed the importance of respecting the Hashemite Custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, noting that "it is necessary for stability and must be respected."

Kombos also briefed Safadi on President Christodoulides' endeavours to resume negotiations to achieve a comprehensive and vital solution to the Cyprus issue in line with UN Security Council resolutions.