Jordanian king holds talks with Singaporean president

Jordanian King Abdullah II on Saturday held talks with visiting Singaporean President Sellapan Rama Nathan on ways to develop bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East.

During the talks, the two leaders expressed satisfaction over the level of Jordanian-Singaporean ties and the role of the two countries in enhancing Asian-Middle East dialogue, Jordan's official Petra news agency reported.

A free trade agreement signed between the two countries in 2004 has formed an important element in developing economic cooperation, the king said.

Singapore and Jordan signed a free trade agreement and a bilateral investment treaty in May 2004. The two agreements cover a broad range of economic activities, which will facilitate the flow of goods, services and investment between the two countries and beyond.

The king noted the possibility of cooperation in areas related to research, development and use of information technology in developing education, in addition to land and maritime transport systems.

He praised Singapore's experience in building a strong economy as well as available opportunities for Jordanian and Singaporean private sectors to establish joint investment ventures in many fields.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East and efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region through pushing the peace process forward and finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue.

They reiterated support to efforts of the Iraqi government to preserve unity and integrity of Iraq.

Nathan arrived here earlier in the day for an official visit to Jordan.

Source: Xinhua