His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday stressed the importance of embracing common international values to establish a sustainable and long-term international partnership that ushers in a new era of coexistence and cooperation between the peoples of the world.

The King made the remarks at a ceremony attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania, during which he received the St. Andrew the-First-Called international prize, “Dialogue of Civilizations,” in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the consolidation of accord between civilizations.

King Abdullah said the “sanctity of human life, innocence of children and anguish of mothers apply to all” in Moscow as well as in Amman, Baghdad, New York, Madrid and Jerusalem.

The peoples of the world, he added, should accept peace as the norm and reject violence as a deviation from the right path, stressing that these values are shared by Muslims, Christians and Jews.

The King said this is the essence of Amman Message, the reality of common values and the trust that should be built across the divides.

A Russian delegation led by Vladimir Yakunin, president of the Russian Railways Ltd. who is also chairman of the St. Andrew Foundation Patrons Council and co-chairman of the Dialogue of Civilizations Forum, were in Amman for the occasion.

Yakunin also delivered a letter to King Abdullah from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who stressed his keenness on continuing bilateral meetings with the King.

Putin said these encounters were important for the two countries to coordinate their positions regarding developments in the Mideast and international arenas.

The president thanked the King for his “true and sincere feelings” towards Russia and his role in bringing closer the various points of view.

The St. Andrew Prize was established in 1992 on the initiative of prominent public and religious leaders and renowned scholars and artists. Having as its motto “For faith and faithfulness,” the prize is awarded for services rendered to the consolidation of Russian statehood, Russia's international authority and union of states friendly to Russia.

Also on Monday, King Abdullah said Jordan was ready to play a role in efforts seeking to restore peace and stability to Sudan, especially after the warring parties in the Darfur region signed a peace agreement.

The King made the remarks during a meeting with the Sudanese President Omar Bashir's special envoy, Mustafa Ismail.

The Jordan Times