The talks covered the Ukrainian issue, the food and energy crisis, the Middle East, bilateral cooperation, the latest developments in Jerusalem and the Cyprus problem, with the two ministers stressing the need to de-escalate the crisis in Jerusalem. They referred to Cyprus' and Jordan's support for the need for a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.
At the same time, Mr. Kasoulides thanked his Jordanian counterpart for the provision of fire-fighting aircraft during the summer period, which will be stationed in Cyprus.
The Minister said that this visit takes place in the framework of the ongoing bilateral coordination and that they had the opportunity to examine the whole spectrum of cooperation at bilateral and trilateral level and to exchange views on the next steps to further strengthen the excellent relations in view of the Trilateral Summit of Heads of State to be held in Cyprus in the second half of 2022.
"We all agree that the situation in Ukraine is particularly worrying with implications ranging from food insecurity in the Middle East and strong shocks to the global economy," he said.
The Foreign Minister noted that with regard to the situation in Jerusalem, he praised Jordan's continued efforts for de-escalation.
He also reaffirmed Cyprus' full support for maintaining the status quo of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem under the Hashemite Custodian and acknowledged Jordan's commitment to ensure the right of all religions to freedom of worship.
"It is imperative to preserve the fragile stability in the Old City of Jerusalem in order to prevent a new outbreak of violence," he noted.
The Cypriot Minister stressed that with regard to the Middle East peace process, he reaffirmed Cyprus' firm support for efforts to facilitate the resumption of a process aimed at immediate and meaningful negotiations for a comprehensive and lasting peace settlement based on a two-state solution, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and internationally agreed parameters.
EU-Jordan relations were also on the agenda, with the Foreign Minister stressing that he will do his utmost to attend the EU-Jordan Association Council on 2 June in Jordan.
"As the closest EU member state in the region, we believe that we act as a link with the EU, not only for Jordan but also for the whole region," he said.
Letter from Abdullah to President Anastasiades-Israeli actions undermine stability and peace in the region, Jordanian Foreign Minister said
The Jordanian Foreign Minister in his remarks, translated into Greek, said there was a frank and deep discussion based on the stable and unwavering relationship between the two countries. Safadi said he conveyed to the President a letter from King Abdullah "in the context of the excellent relations and bilateral efforts to overcome the situation."
He said that Jordan looks forward to broadening the horizons of cooperation that will have positive consequences for both countries and for the situation in Jordan, food insecurity and energy insecurity.
He said that his country feels that through cooperation with Cyprus, it is imperative to find a solution to address the situation and avoid further escalation of the situation.
On the bilateral level, he said that Jordan believes that "we are on the right track" with steady steps towards further cooperation and bearing in mind that we have concluded several agreements that ensure a climate that is lucrative and attractive for investment and avoiding double taxation.
Mr. Safadi said that Jordan highly appreciates Cyprus' clear position and stance on preserving the status quo in Jerusalem and safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy places and the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as the guardian of safeguarding the right of religions. The status quo cannot continue and we all need and hope for a peace based on law," he said.
He added that the path to this peace will only be achieved by meeting all the rights of the Palestinian people, first and foremost the right to establish an independent, Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital within the pre-5 June 1967 borders.
The Jordanian Foreign Minister said he discussed with Mr. Kasoulides the danger of the continuation of the status quo, which does not help to achieve a settlement of the problem and the need to resume meaningful talks.
"We must point out that these Israeli actions undermine stability and peace in the region and taking as an example what happened at the holy mosque. We must return to the need to respect the right and historical status of Jerusalem and to respect the rights of Christians and Muslims to exercise their right to worship in order to return to the possibility of achieving a viable solution to the Palestinian issue for stability and peace in the region," the Jordanian Foreign Minister said.
He said that both countries support stability and peace and there must be respect for international law, United Nations resolutions and the principle of non-interference in other countries and non-violation of the territory and sovereignty of other countries, he added. "We always discuss and point out the need for a political solution to the Palestinian issue and we also discussed our firm stance on the crisis in Ukraine," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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