By Anzal Amin
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari received His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, who is on a State visit to Pakistan, at Aiwan-e-Sadr here on Sunday.
His Majesty was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs and Personal Envoy; Mr Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and Major General Yousef Huneiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari; Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Senator Sherry Rehman were present on the occasion.
The two leaders reaffirmed the longstanding and fraternal ties between Pakistan and Jordan and discussed the full range of bilateral relations. They noted the need to build on the strength of these relations and to encourage greater people-to-people contact between the two countries.
They also reviewed regional and international developments of mutual concern, with particular focus on peace, stability and security in the Middle East. Both sides underlined the importance of working together in multilateral forums and of promoting humanitarian and development cooperation.
On Palestine, the President and His Majesty noted the convergence of views and reiterated their shared principled position on post-war Gaza. They rejected any displacement of Palestinians and emphasised the need for a Two-State solution. They called for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine on pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
His Majesty King Abdullah II expressed pride in the deep-rooted ties between Jordan and Pakistan, reaffirming Jordan’s keenness to expand cooperation across various sectors.
Both leaders expressed confidence in the future direction of Pakistan-Jordan relations and agreed to maintain close coordination on bilateral, regional and global issues.
The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar; Federal Minister for Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, Senator Musadik Malik; Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Ambassadors of Jordan in Pakistan and Pakistan in Jordan.
The meeting was followed by a special investiture ceremony in which President Asif Ali Zardari conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan on His Majesty the King of Jordan.
On this occasion, His Majesty the King also conferred on President Asif Ali Zardari the Wisam al-Nahdah al-Mursa‘ (Bejewelled Grand Cordon of Al Nahdah translated as Order of the Renaissance), which is awarded by the King to Heads of State and distinguished dignitaries.
The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif; Chairman Senate, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani; Field Marshal, Syed Asim Munir; Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu; Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps.
Later, a state banquet was hosted in honour of the visiting dignitary at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
