His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday held talks with Panama President Juan Carlos Varela, at Al Husseiniya Palace, on bilateral ties and current regional and international developments.

During bilateral talks that were followed by expanded talks—attended by Their Royal Highnesses Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein and Prince Hashim bin Al Hussein, as well as a number of senior officials from the two countries—the two sides affirmed the importance of advancing cooperation between Jordan and Panama, especially in the economic, investment, security, energy, and maritime transport fields.

In remarks delivered at the expanded talks, King Abdullah welcomed President Varela and underlined the deep ties between the two countries, stressing the importance of the visit in cementing relations to strengthen economic cooperation.

His Majesty thanked the president for participating in the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018, which opened on Monday at the Dead Sea.

For his part, President Varela said he is happy to visit Jordan, praising the King’s leadership in pursuit of peace and to promote interfaith dialogue in the region and the world.

The visit is an opportunity to bring the Middle East and Latin America closer, he added.

Panama, the president said, looks to increase trade and tourism cooperation with Jordan, while also working closely with the Kingdom to build a safer, more secure world.

President Varela said he was happy to participate in the Laureates and Leaders for Children Summit 2018, praising its focus on the noble cause of combating child labour.

The media in Latin America, he added, tend to focus on conflicts in the Middle East, but there are those in the region who are working hard to build a better future for their people and for their region.

The president said ties between Jordan and Panama will grow stronger after his visit, to bring economic development and progress to the two peoples.

President Varela added that he will send a delegation to Jordan and work on opening an embassy for his country in the Kingdom.

During the expanded talks, which continued over lunch, His Majesty highlighted the advantages offered by Jordan’s investment climate and opportunities to capitalise on Jordan’s strategic location and its free trade agreements.

The two sides also discussed challenges and crises in the region, as well as efforts to resolve them politically.

The King called for stepping up efforts to break the deadlock in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and reach just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

His Majesty also stressed the need to intensify efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic approach, calling for bolstering Jordanian-Panamanian cooperation in this regard, since terrorism threatens global peace and security.

President Varela affirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening ties with Jordan and expanding cooperation.

He praised Jordan’s key role, led by the King, in seeking political solutions to crises in the region, commending the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts in the service of refugees.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Adnan Jundi, Adviser to His Majesty and Director of the Office of His Majesty Manar Dabbas, and Trade Minister Yarub Qudah attended the talks on the Jordanian side.

A number of senior Panamanian officials and the non-resident ambassador of Panama to Jordan, Tomás Guardia, were also in attendance.

Earlier on Tuesday, President Varela was accorded an official welcoming ceremony at Al Husseiniya Palace.