Amman - Senate President Faisal El-Fayez met in his office at the Senate on Monday with the Rapporteur of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, who is responsible for the Jordan file in the Renew Europe Group in the Parliament, Mr. Malik Azmani.
The meeting addressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Jordan and the European Union countries, and ways to advance them in various political, economic, and parliamentary fields. They also addressed the current situation in the region, emphasizing the need to halt the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
During the meeting, El-Fayez pointed out that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's relations with the European Union are historical and strategic, based on mutual respect and the service of common interests and goals. Jordan, under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, is keen to develop and build on these relations in various fields.
El-Fayez praised the assistance provided by the European Union to support Jordan's development process and help it bear the consequences of regional crises and their impact on the Jordanian economy. He also commended the European Parliament's approval of the EU aid package for Jordan, stressing the importance of strengthening the economic partnership between the two parties to enable Jordan, as a pivotal country in the region, to continue its role in establishing security and stability there and halting the Israeli war.
The Senate President stressed the importance of continuing joint work to strengthen bilateral relations, indicating that Jordan's partnership with the European Union is a strategic and historic partnership, and Jordan is keen to develop and build upon it, as well as to work with the EU to establish security and stability in the region.
He explained that, due to regional conflicts, Jordan has now become the largest refugee-hosting country in the world and is now shouldering the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis on its soil. He noted that Jordan has exceeded its capacity and will not be able to continue providing essential services to refugees unless the international community provides sufficient support for the Syrian Crisis Response Plan, which Jordan developed in partnership with the international community.
Regarding the current situation in the region, El-Fayez pointed to the ongoing security and political conflicts and their impact on the lives, security, and stability of citizens. These conflicts, the latest of which was the heinous Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, emphasized that the Israeli occupation state's war of extermination, ethnic cleansing, destruction of Palestinian livelihoods, and use of all available means to forcibly displace Palestinians are unacceptable by any moral, legal, or humanitarian standard.
El-Fayez called on the European Parliament, all parliaments and international parliamentary institutions, as well as the countries of the European Union and the free people of the world, to take genuine and effective positions and take serious action to stop the war of extermination being waged against the Palestinian people. He emphasized that the continued absence of any political horizon to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine and halt its aggression is unacceptable.
El-Fayez stated that His Majesty King Abdullah II is striving to establish a just and comprehensive peace in the region. He explained that since the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, His Majesty has been exerting tireless efforts at various regional and international levels to halt this aggression and enable humanitarian and medical aid to reach the Gaza Strip, whose residents are subjected to systematic starvation and a deadly blockade.
He stressed the importance of the European Union and its parliamentary institutions continuing to support His Majesty's efforts to find a political horizon that ends the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and leads to achieving a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and international legitimacy resolutions, considering this the only solution that guarantees security for all and stability in the region.
For his part, the Rapporteur of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament and the Renew Europe Group responsible for the Jordan file in the Parliament, Mr. Malik Azmani, stated that the European Parliament is keen to provide financial and economic support to Jordan and support its development plans, which will enable Jordan to confront economic challenges.
Mr. Azmani commended the tremendous efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II to establish peace and security in the region, and His Majesty's ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and enable humanitarian aid to reach the Strip.