Monday, December 2 2019 17:29

ArmInfo. I am sure the first official visit of my counterpart from Jordan to Yerevan will give impetus to our bilateral relations. Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab  Mnatsakanyan stated this on December 2 at a joint press conference  with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan Ayman Al Safadi.

In this regard, he recalled the centuries-old relations and  friendship of the Armenian and Arab peoples, noting that the  Armenian-Jordanian relations are characterized by cultural exchange,  and thousands of Armenians who escaped from the genocide found refuge  in Jordan. In this regard, the Armenian Minister expressed his  gratitude to the people of Jordan and its leaders for the support  provided during the most difficult days of Armenian history.

"I am optimistic about raising our relations to a new level and this  despite the fact that there is a serious untapped potential in  political and economic relations. I believe that by joint efforts we  can realize this potential. There are significant prospects for the  development of relations, first of all, in terms of tourism and  trade, including in the EAEU format, given the membership of Armenia  and the organization. Other areas of cooperation may be the IT and  pharmaceutical sectors. We have been implementing for five years now  a student exchange program and we hope that cooperation in this area  will continue, "the Armenian Foreign Minister said, adding that the  establishment of direct air links between the capitals of Armenia and  Jordan will give a positive impetus to the tourism sector.

As Mnatsakanyan said, the situation in the Middle East was also  discussed at the meeting. According to him, the Armenian community in  Syria, together with local minorities, is opposed to foreign  intervention, and in this context, pointed out the importance of  international efforts to promote their security. The Foreign Minister  also noted that he presented the situation around the settlement of  the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, spoke about his commitment to an  exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict and the need to  create an atmosphere conducive to peace.

In turn, the Foreign Minister of Jordan Ayman  Al Safadi stated that  this visit will allow to study business opportunities between the two  countries. "The truth is that trade and economic relations are still  quite modest. This visit will reveal the possible areas of our  cooperation. Tourism is a cornerstone in the development of  relations. We would be happy to see more Armenians in our country,"  Al Safadi said, pointing out the presence of an active Armenian  community in the country and assuring that the road for cooperation  between the two countries has been paved and now it's the turn for  action.  Speaking about the situation in the region, he noted that  Jordan has received thousands of refugees from Syria and is trying to  help and assist them. "We hope that the crisis will be resolved and  refugees will be able to return to their homes. We also touched on  the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is the cornerstone for us. In  this regard, I would like to point out the importance of resolving  conflicts peacefully," the Foreign Minister said, emphasizing that  Jordan believes in dialogue as a way to resolve conflicts.