Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi, met Monday with Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra. The meeting covered ways to enhance partnership bilaterally and within the European Union (EU). Safadi and Hoekstra, who is visiting Jordan for the first time, discussed many regional and international issues, foremost of which was the Palestinian cause, and Arab effort aimed to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The two ministers lauded the Jordanian-Dutch ties and agreed to hold a new session of political consultations to set priorities for cooperation in the next phase, with a focus on water and agricultural sectors. In a post meeting press conference, Safadi said that talks he held with his Dutch counterpart covered cooperation between the two countries in several fields, including economic, investment, defense and security spheres, with a focus on agricultural and water sectors in light of the Kingdom's focus on these two sectors and the Dutch relevant expertise. "Today, we are building on a solid foundation of strong relations that unite the two royal families in the two kingdoms, and in the context of our partnership, which we see as a great benefit in sustaining and developing them," Safadi said. Safadi added that he briefed Minister Hoekstra on the latest developments related to the Syrian crisis, and on the new Arab political track that was launched after the Jeddah and Amman meetings, and came under the umbrella of the Arab League yesterday.

Source: Jordan News Agency