Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh received Sunday Iraqi Minister of Interior Othman al-Ghanimi and an accompanying delegation for a discussion on bilateral ties and cooperation.
During the meeting held at the Prime Ministry, Khasawneh stressed the deep-rooted relations between Jordan and Iraq, and the commitment to strengthen them in all areas of cooperation to serve the common interests of the two countries and peoples.
The Prime Minister pointed to His Majesty King Abdullah II’s ongoing directives to develop bilateral relations with Iraq, in addition to maintaining the Jordanian-Iraqi-Egyptian tripartite cooperation mechanism, which would also serve the Arab cooperation process within a broader framework.
Khasawneh also highlighted the joint projects that are being implemented between Jordan and Iraq, most notably the project to extend the oil pipeline from Iraqi’s oil-rich province of Basra to Jordan’s port city of Aqaba all the way to the Egyptian territories and the industrial zone on the borders between the two countries, in addition to other energy and electrical connection projects.
The premier underlined Jordan’s commitment to the security and stability of Iraq and its reconstruction process, saying: “the security and stability of Iraq is an integral part of the security and stability of the Kingdom.”
For his part, the Iraqi Minister of Interior conveyed to the Prime Minister the greetings of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, and underscored the historical relations between Jordan and Iraq, pointing to Iraq’s commitment to develop and strengthen bilateral ties in all fields.
The Iraqi Minister of Interior lauded the level of bilateral security cooperation and coordination, underlining that the borders between the two countries remained stable and secure despite the circumstances and challenges imposed by the presence of terrorist groups in many regions in Iraq.
Al-Ghanimi stressed that the situation in Iraq is stable and secure, which enables the country to forge ahead with reconstruction efforts, voicing Iraq’s aspiration to have Jordan as well as Jordanian companies contribute to these efforts.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY