Baptism site: His Majesty King Abdullah II and Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama co-chaired a new round of the Aqaba Process meetings at the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ (Bethany Beyond the Jordan) on Tuesday.
According to Jordan News Agency, the meetings, organized jointly by Jordan and Albania, focused on the Balkan countries for the fourth time, addressing ways to promote interfaith dialogue and emphasizing commonalities to foster peace and security.
At the conclusion of the meetings, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, His Majesty's chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy, participants agreed on the necessity of promoting values of brotherly cooperation and mutual understanding and respect to handle shared responsibilities in the Balkans.
They underscored that these commonalities should serve as fundamental pillars and reference points for communities to interact responsibly and in solidarity, working towards a brighter future for the peoples of the Middle East and Europe.
The meetings saw the participation of Muslim and Christian religious leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Montenegro, as well as Jerusalem, Syria, and Jordan.
Since its inception 10 years ago by His Majesty, the Aqaba Process initiative has seen previous rounds hosted by Jordan and other countries in partnership with Jordan, including Spain, Albania, Indonesia, Italy, Brazil, Bulgaria, Rwanda, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Norway, Nigeria, the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Nations.
The initiative's goal is to enhance coordination, cooperation, and exchange of expertise among various regional and international parties in combating extremism.
In addition to the Balkans, previous Aqaba Process meetings have focused on regions such as East Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, West Africa, and the Sahel.