The Foreign Secretary hosted His Excellency Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, in London on 22 March.
The Ministers affirmed their commitment to maintaining the strong strategic partnership between the UK and Jordan, based on the rich and positive shared history between our two countries and peoples. The Foreign Secretary highlighted the UK’s decision this month to include Jordan as an early participant in our Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme as a reflection of our close ties. The scheme will bring many benefits in facilitating business and tourism travel for Jordanian visitors to the UK.
The Foreign Secretary praised Jordan’s role, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as a force for stability in the Middle East and a generous host of refugees. The UK is continuing to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Jordan. The Foreign Secretary expressed his grave concern about the recent increase in violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and affirmed the UK’s active support for steps to de-escalate tensions, including the recent meetings of the parties hosted by Jordan in Aqaba and Egypt in Sharm El-Sheikh. The UK remains committed to a two-state solution to the conflict.
The Ministers discussed the situation in Syria following the tragic earthquake of 6 February. The Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid reaches populations in need in Syria, including through continued cross-border access to northern Syria. He affirmed the UK’s support for a political settlement in Syria in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.
The Foreign Secretary emphasised the UK’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and underlined the need for Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all its forces from Ukraine, as set out in UN General Assembly resolutions that have received overwhelming international support. Photo by Hassan Bushnaq, Wikimedia commons.