President of the House Annita Demetriou stressed the significance of Cypriot-Jordanian relations in tackling common challenges during the official visit of the Jordanian deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Ayman Al Safadi to Cyprus on Friday.

Demetriou praised the close relations between the two countries saying that they are governed by common principles and values and expressed satisfaction for progress made in fire safety cooperation.

On Thursday, Safadi met his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulidis, and discussed King Abdullah’s proposal to establish regional aerial hub in Cyprus from which planes can operate to respond to fires, not only in Cyprus, but in neighboring countries such as Israel and Lebanon.

“With the firefighting plane that Greece has promised in conjunction with the assistance of Israel and the two Jordanian helicopters, we will have a firefighting fleet,” Kasoulidis said, adding that it was a good avenue for non-political cooperation.

The House president expressed her appreciation for Jordan’s firm positioning on the Cyprus problem and said Cyprus had been the recipient of international law and human rights violations for 48 years as a result of the Turkish invasion and ongoing occupation, also referencing the ongoing Turkish activities in Varosha.

The Jordanian official said Cyprus-Jordanian relations are solid due to the countries’ geographic and cultural proximity and reaffirmed his country’s principled stance towards the Cyprus problem, including its support for a solution in accordance with UN security council resolutions.

Safadi also thanked the Republic for its alignment with the relevant UN resolutions regarding the Middle Eastern problem and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation between the two countries, especially on contemporary issues such as the ongoing food crisis.

According to the press release both officials expressed their willingness to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations in the context of bilateral exchange, as well as in the context of trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Jordan.