King concludes Germany visit with more meetings with top delegates

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday continued a series of meetings he held with heads of delegations and officials on the sidelines of the 52nd Munich Security Conference in Germany, a Royal Court statement said. 

At the opening of the meeting on Friday, His Majesty delivered a speech in which he stressed that the world is fighting the next war, which he described as "a new and complex struggle for the future" (see full speech).

His Majesty said: "I've called this struggle a ‘third world war by other means’,” noting that "the point is not simply that the threat is global – although, indeed, it does impact the entire international community. But world wars share something else as well: they are massive change agents. Winning or losing this global war will shape global values and define our security and way of life long into the 21st century".

“Success cannot be achieved by focusing on uprooting Daesh from Syria and Iraq as there are other terrorist groups and affiliates growing in Africa and Asia,” the Monarch said.

He noted, "It is time for a new level of global action focusing our resources, coordinating our responsibilities and synchronising our military and security efforts. Our countries, our international institutions, must work collectively, as a true global alliance."

In his meetings, the King focused on the developments in the region, especially in regard to the Syrian crisis and the Palestinian issue.

The agenda also included the importance of the international community’s support to countries affected by the crisis and refugee-hosting communities.  

On Saturday, the King met with President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev, UK Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Philip M. Breedlove and a US Senate delegation headed by Senator John McCain.

His Majesty and Plevneliev discussed the developments in the Middle East where the Bulgarian president voiced his country’s appreciation of the Kingdom’s efforts, under the leadership of King Abdullah, to promote peace in the region and commended His Majesty’s speech during the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. 

The meeting also covered Jordanian-Bulgarian relations and ways to boost them, especially at the economic and commercial levels. 

His Majesty returned home later in the day, Royal Court said. 

A day earlier, King Abdullah met with United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi and Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

The King had similar encounters with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Canadian National Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti, German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini.

The meetings with Fallon, Breedlove and the US Senate delegation covered ways to combat terrorism as well as regional and international efforts and the need to adopt a comprehensive approach in addressing the terror threat.

In the meeting with de Mistura, His Majesty stressed the importance of finding a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis that ends the violence and preserves the unity of the Syrian land and people. 

The King also stressed the importance of the international community’s support to countries affected by the Syrian refugee crisis and discussed the dangers of terrorism and how to rise to this threat. 

In the meetings with Barzani and Abadi, the Monarch discussed developments in Iraq and the importance of supporting efforts to deter the terrorist group Daesh, stressing Jordan’s support to all efforts that enhance the security and stability of Iraq.

King Abdullah and the Israeli defence minister discussed bilateral relations, developments in the region and the means to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations. 

Lavrov and the King discussed international efforts and the Russian role in finding a solution to the Syrian crisis as well as bilateral relations.

They reviewed the outcome of the recently held “Supporting Syria and the Region Conference” in London and the importance of building on it to enable host countries, especially Jordan, to deal with the repercussions of the crisis. 

The meeting with Pinotti covered a follow-up on His Majesty’s visit to Rome last year, where he met with senior officials to discuss the importance of enhancing bilateral relations.  In the talks with the German defence minister, the King voiced Jordan’s interest to cooperate with Germany, especially in the military field. 

For her part, Ursula von der Leyen commended the King’s participation in the Munich conference and stressed on the importance of Jordan’s role in endeavours to end the Syrian crisis and serve the refugee population. 

While in Munich on Friday, the King received a telephone call from US Vice President Joe Biden. 

During the telephone conversation, the King and Biden discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, especially regarding regional and international counterterrorism efforts as well as developments in Syria, according to a Royal Court statement.  

All meetings were attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan.