Jordan's king Abdullah meets Turkish president Gul

King Abdullah: Jordan "concerned by threats to Jerusalem and its holy sites" Jordan's King Abdullah II expressed concern over the security of Jerusalem and its holy sites in a bilateral meeting he held on Tuesday in Turkey's capital with President Abdullah Gul. "We are duly concerned by the threats to Jerusalem and the sanctity of its holy sites," King Abdullah said during a press conference after the meeting in Ankara. "Jordan will continue its efforts to protect Jerusalem's identity and holy sites, " Abdullah said. Jordan is administering Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem. On Syria crisis, King Abdullah said there was an urgent need for political transition and an immediate end to the bloodshed. "Only an inclusive transition will stop sectarian conflict and avoid fragmentation of Syria," Abdullah asserted. King Abdullah touched on the role that Turkey and Jordan plays in hosting Syrian refugees and said: "There is a tremendous burden to both our nations, one that we will continue to shoulder, and we will continue to give the Syrian people in both our countries all the support that we can." King Abdullah also called on the international community to provide assistance to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, the three countries hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees. Gul and Abdullah discuss regional and bilateral issues Gul and Jordan's King Abdullah II discussed the regional developments and bilateral relations in their tete-a-tete meeting. "King Abdullah's visit comes at a time of important developments in the Middle East and northern Africa. Within this framework, Syria issue is very important. There are many Syrians both in Turkey and Jordan. Jordan has been hosting over 300,000 Syrians. As you know, we host over 180,000 Syrians. We discussed these widely. We talked about the Middle East peace process extensively. We handled other issues about our region," said Gul at a joint press conference after his meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan. Gul said that he was glad to host King Abdullah and Queen Rania in Turkey, and he emphasized the consolidation of the strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between Turkey and Jordan. Pointing out that King Abdullah is accompanied by leading businessmen from various sectors, Gul said that Jordanian delegation's meetings in Turkey would also focus on economic relations. Gul mentioned that they were pleased to receive mutual benefits of the free trade, customs and visa exemptions agreements signed during his visit to Jordan in 2009. Expressing his gratitude and greetings for the open and transparent House of Representatives elections in Jordan on January 23, 2013, Gul said, "This visit definitely has strengthened our bilateral relations." Gul, stating that King Abdullah would meet Turkish and Jordanian businessmen on Wednesday and hold talks about defense industry, indicated that he would also accompany King Abdullah.