His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed that Jordan stands by the Pakistani people in their efforts to overcome the difficult circumstances following the devastating earthquake that hit parts of Pakistan and claimed the lives of thousands.



During his talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad on Friday, His Majesty expressed Jordan's readiness to extend further aid to the Pakistani people, and his condolences over the victims of the earthquake and wished the injured a speedy recovery.



For his part, the Pakistani President expressed his gratitude to His Majesty for his support to the Pakistani people and Jordan's quick response in sending aid to Pakistan.



King Abdullah also outlined Jordan's efforts to defend Islam and its noble values, stressing the importance of coordinating and unifying efforts of Jordan, Pakistan and Islamic countries to counter the challenges that face the Islamic nation.



The King also referred to the outcome of the International Islamic Conference that was held in Amman last July, noting that the Amman Message, which was launched by Jordan, aims at revealing the true principles of Islam, rejecting extremism as a deviation from Islamic beliefs.



President Musharraf stressed his appreciation of the efforts being exerted by King Abdullah to defend Islam, stressing the importance of unifying efforts against any attempts to distort the faith.



On the political sphere, the two countries underlined the importance of moving the peace process forward to enable Palestinians to regain their legislative rights and establish an independent, viable state. The two leaders also highlighted the importance of the international community's efforts to ensure further that Israeli pullouts are in line with the Roadmap. They also called for supporting efforts of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to build its institutions.



Regarding the situation in Iraq, King Abdullah and President Musharraf affirmed that the participation of all Iraqis in the political process is vital to the realization of a united, democratic, stable and violence-free Iraq in which the rights of all Iraqis are protected.



The Pakistani President hosted an Iftar banquet in honor of King Abdullah and the accompanying delegation. The two leaders and the attendees performed Maghrib (dusk) prayers.



Talks also covered bilateral relations and means to enhance them, especially in the economic domain. The two leaders stressed the importance of increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries as well as encouraging the private sectors to launch joint projects.



The talks were attended by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, the King's Personal Envoy and Special Advisor, HRH Prince Rashed bin Al Hassan, Chief of the Royal Court Faisal Fayez, Deputy Director of National Security and Acting Director of the King's Private Office Ma'rouf Al-Bakhit, Foreign Minister Farouq Qasrawi and Jordan's ambassador to Pakistan Mousa Adwan, Pakistani Prime Minister Shawkat Aziz and the Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.