site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister Gabriel Holds Tete-a-Tete Meeting with Jordanian Counterpart Safadi

Following a tete-a-tete meeting with Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on Sunday, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel told reporters that Bulgaria is ready to host an Aqaba Process summit meeting. Gabriel is on an official visit to Jordan at Safadi’s invitation.

The Aqaba Process initiative, named after the Jordanian coastal city, was launched in 2015 by King Abdullah II of Jordan. It comprises a series of international meetings aimed at strengthening military and security cooperation, coordination and the exchange of expertise among regional and international partners to counter terrorism.

Gabriel stressed that Bulgaria appreciates and supports Jordan's initiatives focused on security and defence cooperation in the fight against terrorism and radicalization. "During the discussions we reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the political dialogue and hold the next round of political consultations this year," she added.

Jordan is an important partner of Bulgaria in the Middle East. The upcoming 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in October is a good occasion to launch new initiatives, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister stressed.

Deepening political dialogue, identifying strategic areas for enhanced cooperation and enhancing coordination of common efforts were among the highlights of the meeting between Gabriel and Safadi. The meeting also discussed the potential for bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation. "The Joint Economic Cooperation Commission is an important mechanism to intensify our partnership in various economy areas. We are ready to host the Commission meeting this year," Gabriel said.

Deepening cooperation in the fields of information technologies and tourism were also topics of discussion.

"The programme for cooperation in education, science and culture signed between our countries last July gives us a mechanism for effective international educational exchanges and we will continue to work in this area, Gabriel further noted. In her words, student exchanges are the best way to strengthen people-to-people contacts.

Commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gabriel stressed that everyone wants to see humanitarian aid reach Gaza. Bulgaria supports the two-state solution, she underlined. Gabriel highlighted that Jordan has proven to be a regional peacekeeper and Bulgaria welcomes efforts in this direction.

The two-state solution is a proposed framework for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by establishing two states for two peoples - Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian people.

Gabriel’s visit to Jordan also included a visit to the King Hussein Business Park - an innovation complex for local, regional, international companies and start-ups, featuring a state-of-the-art data network, communications, and infrastructure.

Later in the day, Gabriel will be received in audience by King Abdullah II of Jordan.