President confers Nishan-e-Pakistan upon King Abdullah II of Jordan

Islamabad: Pakistan and Jordan have emphasized the need to build on the strength of their bilateral relations and to encourage greater people-to-people contact between the two countries.

This emphasis was laid at a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Islamabad on Sunday.

Asif Ali Zardari warmly received King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, who is on a State visit to Pakistan, at the Awan-e-Sadr.

The two leaders reaffirmed the longstanding and fraternal ties between Pakistan and Jordan and discussed the full range of bilateral relations.

They also reviewed regional and international developments of mutual concern, with particular focus on peace, stability and security in the Middle East.

Both sides underlined the importance of working together at multilateral forums and promoting humanitarian and development cooperation.

On Palestine, the President and the Jordanian King noted the convergence of views and reiterated their shared principled position on post-war Gaza. They rejected any displacement of Palestinians and emphasized the need for a Two-State solution. They called for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine on pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

King Abdullah II expressed pride in the deep-rooted ties between Jordan and Pakistan, reaffirming Jordan's keenness to expand cooperation across various sectors.

Both leaders expressed confidence in the future direction of Pakistan-Jordan relations and agreed to maintain close coordination on bilateral, regional and global issues.

The Jordanian King was accompanied by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs and Personal Envoy, Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and Major General Yousef Huneiti, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

First Lady Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Senator Sherry Rehman were present on the occasion.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Musadik Malik and others.

The meeting was followed by a special investiture ceremony in which President Asif Ali Zardari conferred Nishan-e-Pakistan upon His Majesty the King of Jordan.

On this occasion, His Majesty the King also conferred on President Asif Ali Zardari the Wisam al-Nahdah al-Mursa' (Bejewelled Grand Cordon of Al Nahdah translated as Order of the Renaissance), which is awarded by the King to Heads of State and distinguished dignitaries.

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Senate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf, cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps.