Amman: Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel discussed Sunday the “disastrous” fallout of the Israeli war on Gaza and efforts to stop the war, protect civilians and deliver aid to the besieged enclave.
Safadi discussed the “need” for Israel to comply with the rules of international law, calling for an end to the raging war on Gaza and “the unprecedented suffering and humanitarian catastrophe it is producing.” He urged the international community to stop the war.
The top diplomats also discussed enhancing ties between the two countries in trade, tourism and culture.
In a press conference, Safadi said, “Today, I received the Foreign Minister of Bulgaria on her first visit in her official capacity to the Kingdom. The visit was an opportunity to discuss how to build on the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
“We talked about a group of areas in which we can increase our bilateral cooperation, specifically in education and tourism,” noting that there are
broad prospects for cooperation in these two sectors.
He added, “We talked about cooperation within the framework of the Aqaba Process, and we look forward to hosting Bulgaria in the Aqaba Process meetings soon this year… we agreed to relaunch the process of political consultations between the two countries regularly.
“The first session of these consultations will begin within two months after a working team from the two ministries identify the issues on which we need to make decisions in a way that reflects the interests of the two friendly countries.”
On Gaza, Safadi said, “We talked about the humanitarian catastrophe that the Israeli aggression continues to exacerbate in Gaza, and I affirmed the Kingdom’s clear position on the necessity of stopping this aggression immediately.
“We discussed the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to increase the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people in Gaza,” noting that according to United Nations reports, Gaza is facing famine as a result of the lack of
food, medicine and water.
Safadi added, “We talked about how to coordinate efforts to deliver the necessary aid to Gaza, and the minister was briefed on the airdrop operations that the Kingdom continues to carry out in Gaza,” noting that the measures are not sufficient for over 2.3 million people Palestinians.
Safadi stressed, “We are continuing to work and put great pressure on getting sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip.”
Safadi said, “Bulgaria and I agree that the two-state solution is the only way to achieve security, peace and stability in the region, and I briefed Her Excellency on the efforts that we are making in coordination with several Arab countries and with the international community for there to be effective action that begins with stopping the aggression and delivering aid and taking us towards embodying an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital.”
He warned that continued Israeli aggression in these circumstances and at the beginning of Ramadan would
endanger a spillover, adding that every day that passes with the continuation of the war increases the risk of the outbreak of the war and increases its victims.
For her part, Gabriel said, “Jordan is an important partner for Bulgaria in the region, and next October will witness the sixtieth anniversary of our diplomatic relations… my visit today is an important message to enhance political dialogue between us and enhance cooperation in many strategic areas and to coordinate our efforts to find solutions to regional and global challenges.”
Gabrielle stressed, “We support Jordan’s initiatives in the field of security, cooperation, defence and combating terrorism and extremism, and Bulgaria is ready to host the Aqaba process.”
Source: Jordan News Agency