ANKARA - King Abdullah of Jordan arrived in Ankara on Tuesday.
The King of Jordan was welcomed at Ankara`s Esenboga Airport by State Minister Mehmet Aydin, Ankara Governor Yahya Gur and a number of Arab ambassadors in Ankara.
King Abdullah came to Ankara together with Queen Raina of Jordan. Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher and Planning and International Cooperation Minister Bassem Awadallah are in the Jordan`s King`s entourage.
PRESIDENT SEZER WELCOMES KING ABDULLAH AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer welcomed King Abdullah of Jordan in an official ceremony at the Presidential palace in Cankaya.
Addressing the ceremony, President Sezer said that Turkey and Jordan represented stability and modernization in the Middle East, adding that their cooperation which constituted an example to other countries would contribute to settlement of peace and stability in the region.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and State Ministers Kursat Tuzmen and Mehmet Aydin attended the ceremony.
SEZER: TURKEY AND JORDAN REPRESENT STABILITY AND MODERNIZATION IN MIDDLE EAST
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said that Turkey and Jordan represented stability and modernization in the Middle East and cooperation of the two countries would contribute to settlement of peace and stability in the region.
After the ceremony, Sezer said that Jordan was a country to which Turkish people felt themselves very close, and the visit would be a beneficial opportunity of making the two countries` policies in international area to become much closer to each other.
President Sezer said that the visit which was paid after a three years of interval was the highest-level indicator of existence of close relations on basis of mutual respect, understanding and dialogue.
Stating that they would discuss Turkish-Jordanian relations in detail and focus on further improvement of those relations, Sezer said that they would also discuss regional and international matters, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, efforts to reach peace in the Middle East and Iraq issue.
Noting that the visit occurred at the same time as the Middle Eastern geography was going through a quite sensitive period, Sezer said, ``Turkey and Jordan represent stability and modernization in the Middle East. Our cooperation which constitutes an example to other countries contributes significantly to settlement of peace and stability in the region.``
KING ABDULLAH: WE SHOULD DO OUR BEST TO HAVE REGION ADVANCE ON PATH TO PEACE
Meanwhile, King Abdullah said that there were perfect relations between Turkey and Jordan and they would discuss opportunities of improving their cooperation in political and economic fields.
Noting that they would also discuss regional issues, Abdullah said that Palestine problem was important for Jordan and they believed that the issue lied on basis of Arab-Israeli conflict.
Stressing that acts of violence in the region should end, Jordan`s King said that they should do their best to have the region advance on the path to peace.
Noting that the region had suffered problems for a long time and desired and required ``justice, stability and confidence``, Abdullah said that people living in the region should feel themselves safe to make plans about the future.
Stating that also Iraq issue would come to the agenda of their meetings, Abdullah said that they would discuss how they could help Iraqi people take their future under guarantee in a free and honorable way. The King said that Turkey and Jordan were neighboring countries of Iraq so developments in the region affected them.
Abdullah added that they had always appreciated the role Turkey played in settlement of peace.
Following the meetings between Turkish and Jordanian delegations, President Sezer hosted a luncheon in honor of King Abdullah.
(MS-AÖ) 16.03.2004