Jordan, Italy reiterate call for political solution to end Syrian crisis

Jordan and Italy on Tuesday reiterated their call for a political solution to end the crisis in Syria, the state-run Petra news agency reported. The political solution that ends the Syrian violence and preserves its unity is key to ending the crisis, Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said during a meeting with his Italian counterpart Emma Bonino. Judeh meanwhile highlighted the challenges that Jordan is facing due to hosting over 540,000 Syrian refugees. In this regard, the Italian minister said her country is ready to increase support to Jordan to help aid the Syrian refugees. Meanwhile, Kristalina Georgieva, the European Union (EU)'s commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, who also visited Jordan Tuesday, said the EU has approved 150 million euros (about 196.3 million U.S. dollars) to help the countries hosting Syrian refugees.