Jordanina PM discuss ties, Mideast with Russian minister

Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Tuesday met a Russian delegation taking part in a meeting of the Jordanian-Russian joint governmental committee, led by agriculture minister Nikolai Fyodorov, to discuss cementing bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East. During the meeting, Ensour presented a briefing on challenges posed to Jordan as a result of turmoil in the region, specifically the Syrian conflict, noting that the Kingdom pinned high hopes on its friendship with Russia and its understanding of Jordan's situation as the country most affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria. He also said that a stable Syria is in Jordan's higher interest. Further, Ensour hailed Russia's "responsible" position vis-a-vis the Palestinian issue, adding that Moscow's moral responsibility made it a "direct" partner in the Middle East peace process. He said Jordan had been the scene of waves of migration due to regional conflicts, as it hosts about 2.5 million Palestinian refugees, some 1.3 million Syrians, including over half a million since the current crisis began, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, noting that the Kingdom was enduring an enormous burden on behalf of humanity. For his part, the Russian Minister said the joint committee would discuss achieving the maximum cooperation, not only in the military field and in building a civilian nuclear power plant, but also in the education, tourism, agriculture, and energy fields, as well as trade exchanges. He emphasised the importance of setting up task forces in the trade and investment domains. Fyodorov also said his country's leadership was interested in a strategic partnership with Jordan and finding solutions to Middle East problems, adding that humanitarian aid to Jordan and the Kingdom's food security is on top of the Russian agenda.