OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2011. Following their bilateral talks, President Viktor Yanukovych and King Abdullah II of Jordan have made statements for the media.

 In his statement President Yanukovych said:

“Today we welcome King of Jordan Abdullah II, who came to Ukraine for the first time with an official visit.

 We have just finished our talks on a broad range of issues, both bilateral and international.

 Special attention was dedicated to the prospects for deepening trade and economic cooperation, expansion of the traded goods list, establishment of joint ventures, increasing direct contacts between businessmen of both countries.

 I believe our countries have all the prerequisites necessary for engaging the potential of bilateral cooperation.

 Therefore, the Governments of our countries have been instructed to hold regular meetings of the Joint Jordanian-Ukrainian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation.

 We have also discussed the development of investment cooperation today.

 We have agreed that it is necessary to define investment priorities, taking into account the interests of both sides.

 With His Royal Majesty we have agreed that humanitarian, human contacts serve a solid foundation for further development of relations between our two countries. Thousands of Jordanians currently study in the higher educational institutions of Ukraine, and several thousands of Ukrainian citizens live in Jordan.

 The negotiations, which were held in a friendly atmosphere, have shown the two countries share positions on major international issues, such as promoting sustainable economic development and supporting international peace and security.

 We are old acquaintances with His Royal Majesty, and would like to thank him for accepting the invitation to visit Ukraine. I am confident that our today’s constructive exchange of opinions is an important step towards the development of Ukrainian-Jordanian relations, and intensification of political, economic, and humanitarian contacts with reputable and valued parties to of the Middle East political processes. We attach great importance to Jordan’s participation in these processes.

 His Royal Majesty’s special role in the international efforts to settle the Middle East conflict, stabilize the region, and achieve mutual understanding in the world by means of inter-civilization and inter-religious dialogue is well known in the world. 

 We welcome these efforts and wish His Royal Majesty every success in this important international mission.

 For its part, Ukraine is ready to be Jordan’s partner in promoting the principles of peace, tolerance, and good neighborliness on the international arena".

King Abdullah II, for his part expressed confidence that Jordan and Ukraine have great potential for strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly their economic ties. "I think we have not fully realized the potential of our economic cooperation yet. We will put our best effort in realizing it,"- he said. The King of Jordan expressed his belief that the documents signed today will contribute to deepening Ukrainian-Jordanian relations.

 The King of Jordan also invited Ukraine to take part in a number of projects that had been launched in his country, particularly in the development of railway transport and water management. "These projects may be of interest for Ukraine," he said.

 King Abdullah II informed that during his meetings with the President of Ukraine they discussed the situation in the Middle East. "Ukraine and Jordan are doing much in this direction... And our relations are aimed inter alia at us working to settle various conflicts," he said.

 King Abdullah II thanked President Yanukovych "for the warm welcome" on the Ukrainian land and invited Viktor Yanukovych to visit Jordan.