His Majesty King Abdullah met on Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin and discussed the deep, strategic partnership between Jordan and Russia, as well as current regional and international developments.

During bilateral talks that were followed by an expanded meeting, the two sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining coordination and consultations on various issues of mutual concern, and on advancing cooperation in economic, military, and security areas.

In joint remarks to the press, King Abdullah affirmed the deep ties that Jordan and Russia share, noting that “this is an auspicious year” marking the 55th anniversary of establishing ties, just as last year was equally important.

His Majesty cited his meeting with President Putin in 2017 and “the leadership that you showed, as well as the joint cooperation between our two countries on bringing better days to Syria”.

The King said President Putin’s directives last year allowed for “much stronger Jordanian-Russian coordination, and we have been able to make good political grounds in southern Syria, and this is due to your guidance and your vision of trying to solve the issues there as quickly as possible”.

Highlighting the close coordination between the two countries, His Majesty said he expects this year will mark further advancement in cooperation.

The King also praised Russia’s role in the peace process and President Putin’s work to reach a solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis that would “bring more hope to our region”.

For his part, President Putin welcomed His Majesty and expressed Russia’s keenness on bolstering cooperation with Jordan.

“We have met one year ago sharp in Moscow. Both we and our colleagues are in constant contact with one another. Certainly, personal meetings are always very important,” he said.

“In the course of our meeting, we are going to talk about our bilateral agenda, as well as about the situation in the region, but from the outset, let me tell you that this year, we are celebrating the 55th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties between our countries,” President Putin added.

“We are going to further strengthen our mutual trust and cooperation,” he said.

Discussions at the expanded meeting—attended by His Royal Highness Prince Ghazi bin Muhammed, His Majesty’s chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs and personal envoy—covered opportunities for expanding Jordanian-Russian cooperation in trade and increasing Jordanian agricultural exports to Russia.

The talks, which continued over a luncheon, addressed ways to bolster cooperation in a number of vital sectors, with the two sides affirming the need to hold meetings for the Jordanian-Russian joint committee before the end of the year.

Discussions also touched on cooperation in energy, as well as means to benefit from the Aqaba Port as a gateway for Russian products into African markets.

On the Palestinian cause, His Majesty called for stepping up efforts to break the deadlock in the peace process, in order to achieve just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, international law, relevant UN resolutions, and the Arab Peace Initiatives, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Talks covered the repercussions of the Syrian crisis as well, and efforts to reach a political solution.

The King called for progress on the political track to ensure stability in Syria and the region.

His Majesty expressed appreciation for Russia’s role in working with Jordan and the United States to ensure the success of de-escalation zones in southern Syria, which are a model to be replicated elsewhere in the country to pave the way towards a peaceful solution through the Geneva process.

In addition, discussions tackled the Sochi meetings on Syria hosted by Russia recently to guarantee the success of the Geneva process.

Regional crises and efforts to resolve them politically, as well as efforts to fight terrorism within a holistic approach were also discussed at the meeting, attended by senior Jordanian and Russian officials.