His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday held talks in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on bilateral ties and ways to bolster them in various domains.

Talks also touched on the latest regional and international developments, as well as means to maintain cooperation and coordination on various issues.

The two leaders discussed economic cooperation, where Jordanian priority projects were presented before the Japanese side to benefit from developmental grants offered to Jordan. They also discussed ways of supporting the budget through soft loans.

The talks covered cooperation in the security fields, as well as means to fight terrorism. In this regard, Japan offered Jordan an additional USD10 million grant to help the Kingdom boost its borders security.

King Abdullah and Prime Minister Abe reviewed the latest developments in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen as well as efforts to breathe life into the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The two leaders underscored the need to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves its territorial integrity.

Japan, Abe said, highly appreciates the role played by Jordan at the regional level, as well as its contributions to enhance stability and security in the region.

In joint statements following the meeting, the King reiterated the depth of historical and strategic between the two countries, while expressing keenness to enhance them in various domains.

Following is the statements delivered by His Majesty:

"My dear friend, Prime Minister, thank you very much for your warm welcome, and I am delighted to be back here in Japan once again and I am very pleased with the fruitful discussions we have had earlier.

I would also like to take this opportunity, on behalf of myself and the people of Jordan, to express to His Imperial Majesty, the Imperial Family, the people of Japan on the passing away of His late Imperial Highness Prince Mikasa, on behalf of all of us in my country.

We have had a long and true relationship not only with the Imperial House but a true friendship between our two countries, and I am also here in Japan to thank the Japanese government and the Japanese people for the generous support that you have always shown the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

We are very proud of the historic and ever expanding relations, and remaining ourselves committed to further developing the strategic relationship between our two countries, as discussed during my last visit in Tokyo. And in this context, we welcome the signing of further agreements that we have just witnessed a few moments ago.

Being the oasis of stability in a region in turmoil and surrounded by conflicts, Jordan needs all the support it can get and we are very, very grateful again for Japan’s support. Japan has played an important role in our region, and tragic events have sadly shown us that the hands of extremism spare no one. Fighting extremism requires a collective approach – a holistic approach is critical to address the interconnected threats facing all of us not only the Middle East but also Africa, Asia as well as Europe.

I also want to thank you Sir, for your great support that you have shown us for the Syrian refugee crisis. This has put unprecedented humanitarian crisis on our country with tremendous strains on our people, our national budget, and also the resources that are limited in our country, and we appreciate the effort that Japan has made in allowing us to be able to share this burden. And here, I would like to give a personal thank to you and to the Japanese people for this tremendous effort.

Here, I need to emphasise that regional issues are connected. The lack of progress on the peace process between the Palestinians and the Israelis after decades of conflict is a driver for extremism and we need to move beyond the process. And within this context, next year marks the 10th anniversary of the Corridor for Peace and Prosperity initiative. Japan’s efforts in pushing both sides to work together have been admirable and Jordan stands ready to help and support all sides.

Prime Minister, again allow me to thank you very much for the kindness that you have shown me and our delegation, for the leadership you show to our region and to those further afield. We continue to look forward to building a relationship of trust between all of us in our part of the world and we greatly, greatly admire the role that you play in bringing stability and hope to all of us in our part of the world. Thank you. And I look forward to hopefully seeing you in our part of the world in the near future."

On his part, the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that there was a tangible progress in bilateral ties in the past few years. He also praised His Majesty the King for the efforts he exerted to maintain security and stability in the Kingdom.

Following are the statements of Prime Minister Abe:

"I am delighted to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein to Japan in the commemorative year of the 70th anniversary of [the independence of] Jordan.

Since His Majesty’s visit to Japan the year before last, the relationship between Japan and Jordan has dramatically advanced. For three years in a row, our two countries have had leader-level visits. I have the honour of meeting with His Majesty on other occasions frequently in the margins of majors international conferences. And these leader-level exchanges symbolise the close partnership between the two countries.

Japan had to place importance on our relationship with Jordan at being the linchpin of stability in the Middle East. I would like to pay my highest respect to His Majesty’s leadership in steering the Kingdom to stable course amidst the difficult circumstances.

During the summit with His Majesty, I was able to have truly productive and candid exchange of views. I will introduce the thrust of the outcome. The first, the cooperation in the field of security and defence; I expect that the signing of the MoU on defence cooperation and exchanges will be the foundation for further advancing the bilateral cooperation. I am delighted to have witnessed the MoU just signed.

We just had the signing ceremony also for the grant aid, which is an important assistance to Jordan, to provide equipment to be used for security measures produced in Japan. I am pleased to be able to contribute to Jordan for enhancement of her capability on security arena.

Jordan is generously accepting Syrian refugees in great number as well as making all its efforts to address the acts of terror and extremism, that’s being the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East. For all this, I also convey to His Majesty that Japan will solidly support Jordan in this regard, and for this purpose we will provide approximately Yen 30 billion of development policy loan. And His Majesty and I have confirmed that our countries will further work closely for the peace and stability of the region.

Together with His Majesty, I will endeavour to further develop our bilateral relationship and our joint cooperation. Thank you."

King Abdullah and Premier Abe attended a grant signing ceremony, which will see Japan providing Jordan USD10 million to boost its border security and the signing of a MoU to boost defence cooperation between the two countries.

Talks were attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Nasser Judeh, director of King's office, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury, and Jordanian Ambassador to Japan.

The Japanese prime minister hosted a dinner banquet in honour of His Majesty and the accompanying delegation.