His Majesty King Abdullah met on Sunday with Senate President Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh and heads of Senate committees at Al Husseiniya Palace.

During the meeting, King Abdullah underscored the importance of confronting regional challenges surrounding the country as well as the need to deal with local issues of priority in a “balanced and simultaneous manner”.

The two tasks should be addressed equally, in a manner that guarantees higher national interests and ensures that economic and social goals are achieved, His Majesty stressed.

At the meeting, which is part of a policy the King has followed to keep in contact with the various authorities, His Majesty said: “There are challenges facing Jordan and the region during 2015. As for domestic affairs, poverty and unemployment are the foremost challenges ahead of us.”

In this regard, the King referred to the economic plan for the next 10 years, which the government is preparing, as a top priority, urging all stakeholders to cooperate to achieve its goals.

His Majesty said fostering the principle of collaborative work among state institutions is the essence of the approach to address national challenges and to achieve a better future for the country and citizens.

Regarding efforts to deal with the danger of terrorism and extremism, the King said: “We as part of a moderate coalition, as Arab and Islamic countries, are working against terrorists and extremists. But at the same time, I assure everybody that we are constantly working to develop our country and attract investments that push the national economy forward.”  

“There is a war within Islam and there are problems in Syria and Iraq and we must find solutions for them. However, we must strike a balance between the war against extremism and working for the progress of our country, economically and socially,” His Majesty told the senators.

The King highlighted the willingness of various countries to further invest in Jordan, which “everyone considers as an oasis of security and stability in a turbulent region”.

His Majesty expressed satisfaction with the situation at the borders, especially on the northern front, expressing his appreciation for the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army and security bodies for safeguarding the Kingdom and preserving its security and stability.

At the meeting, which also covered efforts to achieve Middle East peace, the King stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue at the regional and global levels. His Majesty also stressed that the international community should support the Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights.

In this regard, the King asserted that the Palestinians should work to garner international support “to serve their just cause”.

King Abdullah highlighted Jordan’s position vis-à-vis the developments in Iraq and Syria.

For their part, the Senate president and the heads of committees hailed His Majesty’s leadership for his ability to respond to “huge” regional challenges and protect the country, vowing to fully back the King’s endeavours to preserve the Kingdom and its interests.

They highlighted the discussion papers His Majesty published over the past two years to trigger a debate over his ideas for reform, saying that the Senate has been analysing and discussing the contents of these documents as part of their contribution to the national discussion that ensued.

They also renewed their support for the King’s efforts to counter takfiri thought and extremism, underlining the need to deploy media, educational and religious awareness as a major tool to respond effectively to such ideologies and defuse their danger. The senators stressed that Jordan is at war with terrorism, urging the media to be precise, credible and responsible as they cover related news. The same message to the media also applies to other issues of national concern, the lawmakers said, calling on outlets to play a positive role by exposing shortcomings in a professional manner. 

The lawmakers commended achievements made by His Majesty, including steering the country out of the Arab Spring turbulence into safety and stability, contributing to efforts aimed at ending regional crises, achieving positive outcomes, especially in the economic sphere, in his latest visit to the US, defending Jerusalem and its holy sites, and scoring success in the “evolutionary” reform process.