King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on Tuesday inaugurated, in the presence of Queen Silvia of Sweden, the new building of the Swedish Embassy in Amman, and the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa.
The Swedish embassy was opened in Amman in 1981, following 21 years of diplomatic ties between the two kingdoms.
HRH Prince Raad bin Zeid, Princess Magda Raad, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, and Sweden Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstr?m, attended the opening ceremony.
In a speech in the opening ceremony, Safadi said the King and Queen of Sweden’s visit to Jordan gives new momentum to the strong partnership and deep friendship between the two countries.
Safadi added that the two countries’ relations have evolved over the past years, bilaterally and within the European Union, lauding the deep coordination on regional issues with the aim of consolidating security and stability and achieving peace and prosperity.
Safadi noted that opening the new building of the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish Dialogue Institute for the Middle East and North Africa reflects the continuous development of the two countries’ relations.
The foreign minister expressed appreciation for Sweden’s decisive role in mobilizing support for “the right of Palestinian refugees to live in dignity, the right of Palestinian children to education and to go to their schools, and their right to hope, as this hope is fading away with the continued absence of a political horizon to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, the only way of which is the two-state solution.”
“Our partnership is strong, and our friendship is deep,” Safadi said.
For his part, Sweden Foreign Minister Tobias Billstr?m lauded ties between Sweden and Jordan, and said that the Swedish embassy plays a pivotal role in the diplomatic partnership between the two friendly countries as “a platform and facilitator in our cooperation at all political, economic, cultural and academic levels.”
Billstr?m also noted that the first Swedish embassy in Amman was established on this day in 1981.
Billstr?m added that for many decades, Sweden and Jordan have stood side by side against common and global challenges, and have cooperated in multilateral forums and at the bilateral level to promote regional stability, peace and sustainable development.
“Together, we will continue to defend international law and defend the two-state solution as the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Billstr?m said.
King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden, accompanied by a Swedish government delegation and representatives of the Sweden private sector, arrived in Amman on Tuesday for a three-day state visit.
The visit focuses on strengthening bilateral relations and increasing cooperation in the economic, trade, investment and sustainable development fields, and confronting the impact of climate change.
Source: Jordan News Agency