His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed that our relationship with Europe transcends economic cooperation and financial assistance, noting that cultural, political, religious, social and many other links are the components of a solid strategic relationship.

In remarks he made at the German Council for Foreign Relations, the King said that the European-Mediterranean partnership needs to evolve, from a mere association, into a meaningful structure with long-term outlook.

His Majesty said that a core challenge to human development in our region is the ongoing conflict between Arabs and Israelis, stressing the importance of ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. "Today, Jordan is providing a model of reform, democratization and the rule of law, a model that offers our people an opportunity to excel, and a prototype for a more stable and secure future in the Middle East as a whole," he added.

King Abdullah said that Jordan's systemic reform process began more than twelve years ago. "Three years ago, we began accelerating our work in response to a national consensus," he added, noting that Jordan is witnessing major change across all fields, political, economic, social, administrative, judicial and educational.

Full Speech