Al-Maliki hails 'successful' visit to Jordan

Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki with Jordan's King Abdullah II Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has described his recent visit to Jordan as "successful," adding that the it would eventually serve to improve the lives of people from both countries .
On his return to Baghdad on Tuesday, Maliki announced that he had reached an agreement with Jordan to extend two pipelines for the export of Iraqi oil and gas to Jordanian territories.
The agreement, signed on Monday in Amman, will see the export of Iraqi oil through Jordan's Aqaba port. Maliki added that the agreement includes cooperation between the two countries in different fields such as, economy, trade, oil, energy, agriculture, and transportation.
Maliki met Jordan's King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour in Amman. In terms of bilateral relations, the parties discussed pushing forward with the Arab cooperation to face the current challenges and to formulate a unified position to serve the interests of the common Arab issues.
The Jordanian King expressed his country’s support for the Iraqi efforts in achieving security and stability in Iraq, adding that the security and stability of Iraq is considered a cornerstone to achieve regional stability. He stressed the need for achieving unity among the different factions in Iraq to pave the way for meeting the aspirations of the Iraqi people.
The leaders discussed the recent regional developments. They held talks about the Palestinian issue and the ways to the peace process that would ensure the rights of the Palestinian people and achieve independence. There was also discussion on the current Syrian crisis and its repercussions for the region.
The Iraqi Prime Minister thanked the Jordanian king for supporting the Iraqi security and stability, expressing his willingness to develop the cooperation with the Kingdom, to serve the common interests of the two countries.
He praised the efforts exerted by the Jordanian regime to achieve the security and stability in the whole region and to serve the Arab interests.
On the other hand, the Jordanian Prime Minister welcomed his Iraqi counterpart, adding that Maliki's visit highlighted the deep relations between the two countries. He expressed his country’s desire to improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.
He expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi government for supporting the Jordanian people to overcome the current challenges.
Maliki expressed his country’s desire to support cooperation with Jordan in the field of transportation, adding that Iraq looks forward to exporting its oil through Aqaba port.
In September, Iraq signed an agreement with Jordan to establish a free trade zone between the two countries.