Speech of His Majesty King Abdullah II At the President's Office

Your Excellency,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I had the privilege of meeting with His Excellency the President this evening. We had a very productive session where we discussed the relations between our two countries and the ways to enhance cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields.

Our meetings are becoming regular ones and this is my third meeting with the President in the last few months, and I am pleased to note that since we first met, there has been considerable progress in our bilateral ties. We have two agreements on trade and investment, and we shall soon have an agreement on Scientific and Technology cooperation between the Republic of Croatia and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. I would like to assure you that Jordan is committed to develop these areas and others as well, and I hope that we can establish a solid relationship between the private sectors in both countries.

We had a chance to discuss the regional situation in the Middle East. We both agreed that the suffering, grief and violence must end and that we must do everything that we can to help bring the region back to the path of peace. I briefed His Excellency on the outcome of the Arab Summit in Tunis, and on the commitment shown by the Arab countries to pursue a peaceful solution with Israel. We still believe that the road map, which has been sanctioned by the entire international community, offers a viable mechanism to pursue a just, lasting and comprehensive peace, in line with international legality and the resolutions of the United Nations.

We also discussed the situation in Iraq, ahead of the June handover date. We reiterated the need for the international community to address the establishment of an inclusive viable political system that would allow Iraq and the Iraqi people the opportunity to play a positive and prominent role in the development of the region.

We addressed the situation in the Balkans and we expressed the hope that the region will soon start witnessing the fruits of the hard work exerted by the international community to restore peace and stability to this part of the world as well.

I hope that we will get the chance in the future to meet again and continue to cement the ties between our two peoples. I am grateful for this opportunity and I hope to see you again in Jordan.

Thank you very much.