King meets world leaders in New York

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah has met in New York with an array of world leaders who arrived in the city to take part in the 70th United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Talks focused on bilateral ties, along with regional and international issues of concern, the Royal Court said in statements.  

During the meetings, the King underlined the need to coordinate efforts to fight extremism and terrorist organisations, renewed Jordan's call for political solutions to regional conflicts and urged international pressure on Israel to end its violations in Jerusalem's holy sites.  

His Majesty also presented Jordan's case regarding the refugee burden it has been shouldering since the Syrian crisis erupted five years ago, urging proportional international support to help the Kingdom carry on with its humanitarian mission of hosting around 1.4 million Syrians, the majority of whom live in host communities.  

On Sunday, His Majesty held a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglo, during which the two sides underlined the vitality of concerted international efforts to counter terrorism and extremism.

They also agreed that Syria needs a political solution to end the suffering of its people and the state of chaos the country is undergoing. They urged the world community to stand by countries hosting Syrian refugees to enable them to carry out their humanitarian duty towards these refugees.

On Jerusalem, the Turkish premier stressed the importance of the Hashemite custodianship in safeguarding Al Aqsa Mosque, voicing his country’s support for the King’s efforts to confront Israel’s policies aimed to change the status quo of the holy sites in the city.

They also discussed ways to support Iraq’s stability through working with all its components to counter terrorism and protect the unity and sovereignty of the country.

Earlier Sunday, King Abdullah met with Austrian President Heinz Fischer. He reiterated the need for the international support to address the Syrian refugee crisis.

The two sides reviewed the developments in the Syrian conflict and stressed the importance of arriving at a political solution that ends the suffering of the Syrian people and guarantees their country’s territorial integrity.

Moreover, King Abdullah and Fischer stressed the importance of intensifying international efforts to combat terrorism and radical ideologies, in a manner that safeguards regional and global security.

At the meeting, the Austrian president expressed his appreciation of the King’s efforts at regional and global levels, and extended an invitation to King Abdullah to visit Austria soon.  

On Saturday evening, His Majesty met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama over efforts to counter extremism and terrorism and spreading the message of true Islam, which, they agreed, embraces the values of moderation and tolerance. The two sides agreed to coordinate their efforts regarding all issues of mutual interest, especially those related to the fight against terror “which threatens the security and stability of the region and the entire world”. 

His Majesty pledged Jordan’s support for Albania’s plan to establish a regional centre to disseminate a culture of tolerance and outlined Jordan’s initiative in this field, including the Amman Message, Common Word and the World Interfaith Harmony Week. 

Also on Saturday, the Monarch met with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela, with whom he discussed economic and trade ties between Jordan and Latin America and efforts to take them to a new level. 

At his meeting with the president of Gabon, Ali Bongo Ondimba, King Abdullah called for better ties with central Africa, especially as Gabon is the current president of the Economic Community of Central African States.

On Friday, the need for international support for Jordan’s efforts to host Syrian refugees and the anti-terror efforts topped the agenda of meeting between King Abdullah and Spanish King Felipe VI.

HRH Crown Prince Hussein attended the meeting, during which the Spanish monarch thanked Jordan for its endeavours regarding the refugee file and efforts to combat terror.  

The two leaders also discussed ways to bring back stability to both Syria and Libya through peaceful means. 

During a meeting Friday with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam, the King noted that both countries share the same challenges related to the large refugee communities and the consequences of regional turmoil.  

His Majesty stressed Jordan’s support for Lebanon as it stands up to face these challenges. 

King Abdullah is due to address the plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on Monday.