King Receives Assistant of Iranian President

Amman
26 February 2006

His Majesty King Abdullah II on Sunday received Assistant of Iranian President and head of the Cultural and Tourist Heritage Organization in Iran Mohammad Mashay.



Mashay conveyed to the King the regards of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad and his keenness to enhance bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib, King Abdullah reiterated that there are many opportunities to enhance bilateral ties, especially in the economic, tourism and cultural domains. The King noted that during his last meeting in Iran three years ago, religious tourism had been a promising area for development.



King Abdullah also emphasized his unequivocal condemnation of acts of violence that target religious shrines and tombs, which he said were an insult to all Muslims. He said that Iraq's neighbors bore a responsibility to support the political process in Iraq and Iraqi efforts to restore security and maintain Iraq's unity.



The Iranian official commended Jordan's efforts to achieve solidarity among Islamic countries and to serve the Islamic world. He also expressed his country's enthusiasm to establish strong relations with Jordan in the cultural domain, especially in the area of religious tourism.