site.btaBulgaria, Jordan to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Agriculture, Education, Defence, Counter-Terrorism

December 17 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina
Zaharieva met here with Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs and
 Expatriate Affairs Ayman al-Safadi. They agreed that their
countries will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in trade,
agriculture, education, tourism, defence, and counter-terrorism,
 Zaharieva's Ministry said in a press release Monday. 

Zaharieva said that Jordan is Bulgaria's key partner in the
Middle East and the Mediterranean. In her words, Bulgaria
welcomes the efforts of King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein for
maintaining peace and stability in this region.

She described the bilateral cooperation in defence and
counter-terrorism as excellent, and expressed the hope that the
joint work of the two countries' enforcement bodies will
continue in the fight against transnational crime groups and
trafficking in human beings. In this relation, Zaharieva
welcomed the so-called  Aqaba Process, which is aimed at
international and regional coordination and cooperation in the
fight against terrorism, extremist ideologies and
radicalization.
 
The two foreign ministers expressed wish for better connections
between their countries' business communities so as to promote
trade and restore the bilateral cooperation in areas such as
agriculture, because for many years Bulgaria used to export
agricultural produce to the Hashemite Kingdom. Zaharieva also
called for more active educational exchange.

The ministers also discussed how to boost bilateral tourism, and
 welcomed the launch of direct flights between Sofia and Aqaba.

Zaharieva and  Ayman al-Safadi also discussed matters on the
current political agenda, including the situation in Syria.

At the meeting, Zaharieva raised the question about Dr. Nedka
Kuneva, whose two children have been detained in Jordan under
the care of the parents of her husband, who has double
citizenship. King Abdullah II has personally committed to look
into the case.

Ayman al-Safadi accepted an invitation to visit Bulgaria in
early 2019.