Majesty King Abdullah and Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday held talks that focused on ways to cement cooperation between Jordan and Poland in various economic and trade fields as well as in defence industries.

The two leaders discussed regional developments, and efforts to achieve peace in the region, in addition to the fight against terrorism.

Following bilateral talks attended by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and the wife of the Polish president, King Abdullah welcomed the visit of the President Duda and his delegation, which comes after the King’s visit to Poland in August.

His Majesty said: “Our countries enjoy a special relationship and I recall the warm hospitality I received during my visit to Poland not too long ago.”

The King expressed hope that the Polish president's visit to Jordan would serve as an opportunity to further build on the good relations between Jordan and Poland.

His Majesty added: “We hope that we would be able to strengthen economic relations between our countries, to become a bridge that links the two peoples.”

The Polish president said he was happy to visit the Kingdom and hold talks with His Majesty to serve the two countries and enhance bilateral relations, saying: “It is a great honour and I’m very pleased to be the first President of the Republic of Poland to pay an official visit to Jordan.”

President Duda’s visit to Jordan is his first visit to an Arab country.

He added that Jordan has the best and strongest relations with the European Union and NATO, noting that “respect for democracy and stability are qualities that characterise Jordan, thanks to your leadership, your Majesty.”

President Duda noted that cooperation between Jordan and Poland began in 2004 as the two countries signed an agreement in the field of defence cooperation, expressing hope that this agreement bears fruits.

He also indicated that the two-way economic exchange had increased, and said: “This is very important for me because promoting Polish projects internationally comes on top of my priorities.”

He said he hopes that the programme of his visit to Jordan would lead to further cooperation in the economic and military spheres.

The talks tackled regional and international developments. His Majesty stressed Jordan’s supportive stances towards efforts to deal with various regional crises, and reach political solutions for them in order to achieve peace and enhance security and stability in the world.

On the Syrian crisis, the King stressed the need for a comprehensive political solution in Syria, pointing to the growing burden borne by Jordan due to hosting a massive number of Syrian refugees and providing them with humanitarian and relief services.

The Polish president voiced his country’s support to Jordan to help it shoulder the burden of the Syrian refugee crisis, and said his country was open to any new initiatives in this area.

With regard to efforts to bring about peace in the region, President Duda stressed that the objective of the peace process must be the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

He added that his country is aware of His Majesty’s efforts to realise peace and stability in the Middle East, stressing his country’s support for efforts aimed at reviving the peace process and countering terrorism.

The talks touched on regional and international efforts to combat terrorism. In this context, the King stressed that using a holistic approach is critical to counter terrorism, which threatens everybody in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.