Amman, Baku sign cooperation deals

King Abdullah on Sunday held talks with visiting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that focused on bilateral ties and regional issues.The two leaders, who attended the signing of several bilateral agreements, stressed keenness to boost cooperation between the two Muslim states, especially in the economic and trade fields. They also welcomed the signing of several deals designed to enhance cooperation in various fields.

The two sides signed four agreements, including one to boost collaboration in the fields of science, education, culture, arts, sport, youth, health and media. 

Another deal was concluded between the Greater Amman Municipality and the Baku City Executive Authority.

The two countries also signed a deal to establish a Jordanian-Azerbaijani joint committee and an agreement to found a joint Jordanian-Azerbaijani business council.

King Abdullah and Aliyev described the conclusion of deals as an important step to boost cooperation in various domains, underlining the significance of better ties between Jordanian and Azerbaijani private sectors. To this end, the two leaders urged businessmen to exchange visits to explore potential opportunities for cooperation and joint ventures.

In an interview with Jordan Television, Aliyev said his country would invite Jordanian companies, especially service businesses, to invest in Azerbaijan.

He described the business council plan as “a good idea”, due to lack of sufficient information on investment opportunities, “which is a large obstacle facing the economic cooperation”.

During the meeting between the King and Aliyev, who is on a two-day visit, the Monarch highlighted Jordan’s efforts exerted along with other Arab states to relaunch a comprehensive peace process that leads to ending the Israeli occupation on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, which offers the Jewish state full normal ties with the Arab world in return for withdrawal from territories it occupied in the 1967 war.

The initiative, which has received fresh support by Arab leaders in their Riyadh summit in March this year, illustrates the Arabs’ determination to make peace and co-exist with Israel, the Monarch said.

He reiterated that the Palestinian issue is the core of conflicts in the region and reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the issue is the key to bringing about stability to the entire region.

In this regard, the Azerbaijani president discussed with the King the role his country can play in relaunching the peace process as a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, which groups 56 Muslim states.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Iraq, pointing out the need to enhance stability and security in the country and the participation of all Iraqis in national reconciliation efforts.

Also Saturday, the Azerbaijani president called on the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) and met with its Chairman/Director General Muayyad Samman.

Samman briefed Aliyev on the centre’s mission and activities, and its role in providing the Jordan Armed Forces with military equipment and technology designed and built by the army-run bureau which works on a commercial basis and exports its products to regional countries.

Aliyev and Samman discussed prospects of cooperation between KADDB and peer centres in Azerbaijan.

The president said the bureau’s experience would be of benefit to the Azerbaijani armed forces.

He told Jordan TV, “I think we can do a lot of joint programmes as we recently created ministry of defence industries and we are planning to create strong defence industries in Azerbaijan. Jordan has good experience in this regard and we can work together on joint projects,” noting that the defence bill of his country stands at $1 billion annually.