His Majesty King Abdullah met Peruvian President Ollanta Humala in Lima on Monday to discuss ways and means to enhance cooperation.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the third South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) summit, which opened on Monday. King Abdullah is scheduled to address the summit tomorrow.

The King and the Peruvian president discussed economic, commercial, investment and airborne shipping sectors, seeing that they fall within the two nations’ best interests, under the framework of agreements between Arab countries and South American nations through ASPA since 2005.

The King highlighted opportunities for cooperation between Jordan and Peru in the tourism sector, especially religious tourism, by attracting more Peruvian tourists to Jordan’s religious and historical sites.

Discussions also tackled ways for Peruvian companies to benefit from the competitive advantages of investing in Jordan.

Also during the meeting, the King referred to the current situation in Jerusalem and the threats to Muslim and Christian sites there because of Israel’s unilateral measures.

The King warned that these Israeli practices hindered peace efforts. His Majesty called on Latin America and the world to intensify their efforts to bring about Mideast peace negotiations.

President Humala and the King reiterated the need for supporting the Palestinian people in achieving their hopes for an independent state.

Humala called for the formation of a joint committee that would bolster bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic and tourism sectors.

On the Syrian crisis, His Majesty voiced concern over the rise in violence to an unprecedented level and warned that, unless a political solution is quickly found, the crisis could escalate and engulf the entire region.

The meeting touched on Jordan’s efforts to host more than 200,000 Syrian refugees, in spite of the Kingdom’s scarce resources. The King called on the international community to stand by Jordan in this regard, adding that Latin American countries can help the Kingdom in its humanitarian role.

Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Brazil Ramez Goussous and a number of Peruvian officials attended the meeting.