King Abdullah II & Italian President Discuss Bilateral Ties

His Majesty King Abdullah II held talks with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano who started with his wife an official visit to the Kingdom. The King and the Italian president stressed their keenness to boost the historical ties between the two countries in various fields. They also discussed situation in the Middle East, efforts to achieve peace and the current developments in the Arab region, mainly in Syria. The King said that Jordan backed a political solution to the crisis in Syria that preserves in unity and stability and puts an end to bloodshed and violence. He also highlighted the role of Italy in helping the Palestinians and Israelis to return to direct negotiations that address all final status issue leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 border living in peace and security alongside Israel. During the talks, which were attended by top officials from both sides, the King and president Napolitano voiced their satisfaction over the level of cooperation between the two countries. His Majesty pointed to opportunities to build on these relations, mainly in the political, economic, cultural, tourism, energy and transport domains. He also highlighted opportunities available for the Italian private sector to increase its investments in the Kingdom in light of privileges and Jordan's attractive investment climate that enable Italian companies to expand their investments in the region.

The Italian president hailed the King's wise policies and reform vision as well as His Majesty's efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Middle East. In a statement before the talks, the two leaders stressed the strong historical ties between Jordan and Italy as well as keenness of both countries to further boost them in various fields. The King said that "Jordan and Italy are bound by strong and historical ties and live in a world in which they can solve problems facing them, mainly in the economic area". He also highlighted the successful visit of the Italian president to Jordan two years ago and its importance in promoting cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic and cultural fields. His Majesty also pointed to developments in the Arab region, mainly after the Arab Spring as well as international efforts to bring about stability in the region. The Italian president valued Jordan's role under the leadership of His Majesty to achieve peace in the Middle East. He also highlighted the strong ties between Jordan and Italy as well as keenness of his country to further enhance them, especially in the economic field. Trade balance between the two countries is in favour of Italy as the kingdom's exports to Italy stood at JD50 million in 2011 while imports amounted to JD685 million.