Safadi delivers King’s message to Cyprus President

Jordan Daily – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs, Ayman  Safadi, on Wednesday, conveyed a message from His Majesty King Abdullah II to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, during a meeting held at the Presidential Palace in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia.

The message included congratulations to the Cypriot President on assuming his constitutional duties, and emphasized the keenness to strengthen the long-standing friendship and relations between the two countries in various fields.

The message 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, President Christodoulides recognized the importance of the Kingdom’s role in the region and His Majesty King Abdullah II’s leadership in addressing problems and bolstering security and stability.

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

In addition, the two officials tackled the partnership framework with the European Union and the tripartite cooperation mechanism with Greece. Several regional issues were also addressed, with the Palestinian conflict taking center stage.

During his visit to the Mediterranean island country, Safadi held extensive talks with his counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, reaffirming their shared desire to forge cordial ties between the two nations. The talks focused on measures to improve bilateral cooperation in a variety of industries, particularly trade, tourism, defense, and security, in the context of partnership with the European Union and the tripartite cooperation mechanism with Greece.

A wide range of regional and international issues was also discussed, including the Palestinian problem, efforts to address the Syrian crisis, the situation in Lebanon, endeavors to support Iraq and fight terrorism, the unfolding events in Sudan, the Ukrainian crisis, and initiatives that would promote security and stability in the region.

Additionally, the two ministers signed a cooperation program between the governments of Jordan and Cyprus in the areas of 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 a number of areas, including trade, investment, tourism, defense, and security, noting that “the foundation is solid, the political will is strong, and the horizons are wide”.

Commenting on the invitation from His Majesty to President Christodoulides to visit Jordan, Safadi assured that he and his Cypriot counterpart would put in a lot of effort to ensure that the visit’s results would be fruitful and concrete, with the signing of agreements and the development of business and governmental collaboration prospects in both nations.

Speaking highly of Cyprus’ position in favor of the two-state solution, Safadi continued that discussions also covered the Palestinian issue and the urgent need to take serious and effective action to find a real political horizon that permits a return to serious and effective negotiations based on the two-state solution.

He emphasized the importance of establishing an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, with occupied Jerusalem as its capital, based on the borders of June 4, 1967, noting that such a state would promote peace and security between Palestine and Israel, which is a strategic choice for all parties and a need for regional stability.

In regards to the Syrian crisis, Safadi stated that “this crisis lasted for a long time, and caused a lot of suffering, destruction, and pain,” and further stated, “We are engaged in efforts with our Arab brothers to establish an Arab leadership role in efforts to find a political solution, address the crisis’ consequences, preserve Syria’s unity and integrity, restore its security and stability, and meet its people’s aspirations”.

“Currently, Jordan is home to about 1.3 million Syrian refugees, or 20 percent of Jordan’s population,” the minister added, emphasizing that providing a decent life for Syrian refugees is a shared obligation that cannot fall only on the host communities. He also praised the nations that backed Jordan in its efforts to give Syrian refugees a good living, including Cyprus, and expressed his hope that this support would continue.

Likewise, he continued, the situation in Sudan is very sad, urging the disputing parties to immediately halt hostilities and start negotiations in order to avoid a civil war.

He emphasized that the current top humanitarian priority is the evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan, noting that Jordan is ready to offer any assistance for the evacuation of Cypriot civilians as it served as a base for the launch of evacuation flights for nationals of other countries to Jordan.

As for the Cyprus issue, a long-standing political problem brought on by the division of the island of Cyprus, Safadi reiterated the clarity of the Jordanian position, which supports a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution based on UN resolutions and in line with the principles of international law.