Comment by the Information and Press Department on the visit to Russia by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan Nasser Judeh

On June 9, Nasser Judeh, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will be in Moscow on a working visit at the invitation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The two officials are expected to compare notes on the most pressing issues on the international and regional agendas in light of the growing number of conflict situations across the Middle East and North Africa that have resulted from external interference in the internal affairs of countries across this vast region under the far-fetched pretext of installing democracy.

The talks will focus on a Syrian settlement. Russia takes note of Jordan’s commitment to facilitate a speedy resolution to the protracted conflict in its neighbouring country that affects the social and economic situation in Jordan. The Kingdom of Jordan has accepted and provided shelter to over 600,000 Syrian refugees, which has become a heavy burden on its infrastructure. Russia and Jordan share similar views on the Syrian issue based on a common understanding of the need to enable Syrians to resolve their internal conflict on their own without outside interference or any preconditions, while benefiting from active international support. In this connection, Russia believes efforts to coordinate initiatives related to Syria with its Jordanian partners to be relevant both in the bilateral format and within the International Syria Support Group co-chaired by Russia and the US.

Another important issue on the agenda during the upcoming talks will be the developments in Iraq, which have been a source of instability for many years due to the growing terrorist threat caused by the cross-border expansion of ISIS. The positions of Russia and Jordan coincide in many respects in that they both call for assisting the Iraqi authorities in countering this threat. At the same time, it is clear that the path to a settlement of the Iraqi issue alongside fighting terrorism lies through launching an inclusive national dialogue taking into account the interests of all ethnic and religious groups within the country.

As part of their discussions on Syrian and Iraqi matters, the two ministers will review counter-terrorism efforts, which have become an important element on the bilateral agenda.

Sergey Lavrov and Nasser Judeh will also have a detailed conversation on the state of the Israeli-Palestinian settlement against the backdrop of the current efforts by international parties to create an environment that could help revive the peace process. This issue will be discussed in light of the outcome of the recent international meeting in Paris on the Middle East peace process.

The talks will also feature a meaningful discussion of key issues on the bilateral agenda, including the recent intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in construction and operation of a nuclear power station in Jordan.