King attends opening of new Suez Canal

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday took part in the inauguration ceremony of the extension project of the Suez Canal in El Ismailia city in Egypt, considered one of the most important projects in Egypt and the Middle East. 

King Abdullah congratulated Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on the opening of the new canal, deemed an important economic project for Egypt and the region as well as an achievement by the Egyptian leadership in its endeavours to boost Egypt's development, a Royal Court statement said. 

King Abdullah, along with several other world leaders and top officials, attended the ceremony, which started with the national anthem and included an address by the Egyptian president in which he said the mega-project came in continuation of Egypt's ongoing development drive. 

The canal inauguration included a naval show carried out by units from the Egyptian marine forces as well as air shows, followed by a documentary on the history of the current and the new canal.  

Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh, King’s Office Director Jafar Hassan and Jordan’s Ambassador to Egypt Bishr Khasawneh attended the launch ceremony.

The King returned home later in the day.   

The extension of the canal or the new canal is 72km long, and has been implemented by Egyptian workers in record time at a cost of around $8 billion.

The new canal doubles the water passage, connecting the Mediterranean with the Red Sea and serves as a link between the East and the West. It will speed up flow of vessels and double the daily capacity of Suez Canal.  

On the sidelines of his participation, King Abdullah met with King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain. 

At the meeting, the two sides stressed the solid relations between the two countries and their commitment to maintaining coordination and consultation vis-à-vis various regional issues and challenges.