The situation in Sudan, the evacuation of foreign nationals and the role Cyprus plays in providing humanitarian assistance was on the agenda of a meeting and consultations the Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos had with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan Ayman Safadi who pays Nicosia a visit. The two Ministers signed a program agreement in the fields of education and culture and the Jordanian official who was received by the President of Cyprus earlier, extended President Chistodoulides an invitation by Kind Abdullah to pay Jordan a visit the soonest. Kombos in his statements said that in the last decade, bilateral relations between Cyprus and Jordan have grown stronger and that both sides are committed to deepen and expand this collaboration in areas like tourism, business, education and defence. He noted that Jordan 'is a pillar of stability in the region' and that 'Cyprus strongly supports and will continue doing so, the strengthening of EU-Jordan relations'. They also reviewed their planning for the next trilateral Summit between Cyprus, Jordan and Greece, at leaders' level, which Nicosia will host in the second half of the year. Kombos also said that they discussed the situation in Syria and Jordan's proposal for a 'Joint Arab Peace Plan' for the gradual solution of the Syrian crisis. He also referred to the vast number of refugees Jordan is hosting. As regards Sudan he said that he expressed gratitude for Jordan's assistance in the evacuation of a Cypriot national just yesterday, during the extraction operation carried out successfully by the Netherlands. He said 'the situation is worrisome, both in terms of the humanitarian conditions in the country, but also for regional stability'. He also expressed the grave concern of Cyprus for the situation in West Bank and reiterated the support of Cyprus to the efforts to achieve a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and viable Palestinian state, on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Kombos also said he briefed Minister Safadi on the efforts of President Christodoulides for the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive and viable solution to the Cyprus issue, in line with the UN agreed framework of a bizonal bicommunal federation, with political equality in line with the relevant UNSC Resolutions. The Jordanian FM said that they discussed how they can continue to work together on furthering multi-faceted cooperation, building on the friendship and partnership the two countries have had for decades. He said that they explored practical ways and identified areas of cooperation in terms of trade, investment, tourism, intelligence, among other issues, saying that 'the foundation is solid, the political will is very strong and the horizons are tremendous'. He further noted that both countries will continue in signing agreements and finding practical ways for a beneficial cooperation, adding that is a good sing that today they signed the agreement on education and culture. Safadi said that as partners they discussed regional challenges both countries face, adding that they spoke about the Middle East peace process, the Syrian crisis and Sudan. He pointed out that the Syrian crisis has been ongoing for so long causing suffering and pain and added that his country is engaged in efforts to have a solution in order to preserve unity, integrity and sovereignty for Syria. He also said that his country hosts 1,3 million refugees amounting to 20% of the population. Safadi said that Sudan is a very sad development and that they urge for an immediate ceasefire and engagement in discussions to allow to rescue Sudan and not letting it fall to the abyss of the civil war. Meanwhile, he added, the evacuation is a top humanitarian priority now and Jordan stands ready to offer whatever support to repatriate any Cypriots and other citizens. He said that 'this is a challenge for all of us and it is only natural that friends and partners come together'. On the Cyprus problem he said that the Jordanian position 'is very clear, thus we urge for a peaceful settlement of this issue on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions', adding that Jordan stands ready to support the efforts in every way it can. As regards the trilateral agreements and cooperation with Greece he said that this is an efficient mechanism to put the countries' resources and efforts in effect in order to serve their interests. Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. Numerous rounds of UN backed talks failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations took place at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana but ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency