His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday met with members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Sub-Committee on the Middle East, urging them to further cooperation with the Kingdom and support its reform programme.

Discussions with the PACE Sub-Committee on the Middle East, chaired by Josette Durrieu, focused on the latest developments in the Middle East region and issues of mutual concern.

The Kingdom is the first stop in the delegation’s regional tour due to its political significance, said Durrieu.

Durrieu said the visit of the PACE Sub-Committee on the Middle East to Jordan is in support of the country’s reform and the steps that King Abdullah is taking in order to achieve comprehensive reform.

King Abdullah briefed visiting delegates on the country’s reform drive, highlighting recent milestones, including the January parliamentary elections and the formation of a parliamentary government, whose members were chosen through consultations with the Lower House.

His Majesty expressed appreciation for European support to the reform process through its various stages.

The King said this support has enabled the Kingdom to benefit from European expertise in this domain, stressing the advanced status of Jordanian-European relations and the need to build on them in the best interests of both sides.

With regard to the developments in Syria, His Majesty cautioned that the continued deterioration of conditions in Syria will exacerbate the problem of Syrian refugees living outside the country.

The King briefed delegates on the burdens borne by the Kingdom, which currently hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees among the conflict-stricken country’s neighbours, and urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities towards the huge number of Syrian refugees who have sought safe haven in the Kingdom.

His Majesty told the delegates about progress made towards achieving regional peace and briefed them on the outcome of US President Barack Obama’s visit last month and efforts by different parties to revive stalled peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis, in a manner that deals with different final-status issues and the two-state solution.

Stressing European support for the Kingdom’s drive towards democracy, delegates expressed PACE’s readiness to offer expertise on reform.

The delegates also pointed to the possibility of expertise exchange between the Lower House and legal and consultative institutions of the Council of Europe in light of the Kingdom’s partner status at the Council.