His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday held talks with President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez Reyna on bilateral relations and regional issues.

The two leaders stressed their commitment to developing cooperation between the two countries, especially in the fields of politics, economy, commerce and tourism.

During the meeting between the two leaders, which was followed by an expanded meeting involving several officials from Jordan and the Dominican Republic, King Abdullah and Reyna examined opportunities to increase the joint volume of commercial exchange.

The King emphasised Jordan’s interest in developing its bilateral cooperation with the Dominican Republic, especially in the economic sphere, and stressed the importance of increasing cooperation between the two countries’ private sectors, highlighting the country’s investment-conducive environment.

It was agreed that businessmen from the two countries should meet to examine the opportunity to set up joint investments in various fields.
Talks also dealt with the conditions in the Arab region and developments related to the Middle East peace process.

King Abdullah highlighted the role of the international community in bringing the Palestinians and Israelis back to the negotiating table to address all final status issues and agree on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders.

King Abdullah also expressed his appreciation for the Dominican Republic’s position and that of the countries of Latin America in supporting the Palestinians' right to freedom, independence and a Palestinian state on their national soil.

During the meeting, the visiting president expressed his appreciation for Jordanian peacekeeping forces deployed in Haiti and their assistance in maintaining the country’s security and stability.

He also asserted that his country and all the countries of Latin America support international efforts to arrive at a just solution for the Palestinian issue that meets the aspirations of the Palestinian people to set up their independent state on Palestinian soil, on the basis of the two-state solution.

Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales said there is great interest in the Palestinian issue in his country and the need to arrive at a viable and just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He also stressed the Dominican Republic’s interest in strengthening its relations with Jordan, especially in the areas of trade, investment and tourism.
Located in the Caribbean Sea, the Dominican Republic has a population of 10 million and has witnessed rapid economic growth over the past few years.

In an interview with the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Minister of Industry and Trade Hani Mulki said the visit is in line with King Abdullah’s belief in the importance of openness to world economies as a means to boost the competitiveness of the Jordanian economy in international markets, especially in terms of human resources and in light of the country’s geographic location.

Talks focused on the possibility of benefiting from the Kingdom’s central regional location, which represents an opportunity to tap regional and international markets and to launch joint investment projects, he added.

Noting that the joint trade exchange volume is still below the desired level, Mulki said the visit represents a chance to increase Jordan’s exports to the Dominican Republic, especially pharmaceuticals, fertilisers and chemicals.

Later on Sunday, King Abdullah hosted a dinner in honour of the visiting president and his wife, attended by several members of the Royal family.

Reyna and his wife visited the University of Jordan Centre for Strategic Studies after their arrival in the Kingdom on Saturday.

During the visit, they attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation between the centre and the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development.