His Majesty King Abdullah II on Tuesday visited Jerash, describing it as the city of history, civilization, and authenticity that reflects Jordan’s image to the world and embodies the Kingdom’s cultural, social, and touristic diversity.

During a meeting with a number of local community leaders and figures in Jerash, attended by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, His Majesty highlighted the promising opportunities in the governorate, especially in tourism, stressing the importance of investing in it.

The King said the governorate’s residents should benefit from these opportunities to establish entrepreneurial and income-generating projects that enable them to build a promising future.

His Majesty also spoke about the recent parliamentary elections, stressing that Jordan has completed the first stage of political modernisation, expressing hope that the elections will be a starting point towards a platform-based partisan parliament that meets Jordanians’ aspirations.

The King pointed to the need to continue implementing economic and administrative modernisation, to achieve comprehensive development that impacts Jordanians in every city and village.

Turning to recent regional developments, His Majesty reaffirmed Jordan’s support for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, noting that Jordan will persist in undertaking its historical role in safeguarding Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, under the Hashemite Custodianship.

Reiterating Jordan’s unwavering support of Palestinians’ steadfastness, the King expressed complete rejection of the forcible displacement of Palestinians.

His Majesty also reiterated Jordan’s readiness to respond firmly to any attempts to undermine its sovereignty, whether through attempts to settle scores through the Kingdom or by escalating the situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Speaking at the meeting, Jerash Governor Firas Faour expressed best wishes to the King on the Silver Jubilee, highlighting achievements in Jerash in several sectors over the past 25 years.

Faour stressed the keenness of Jerash residents to move forward with modernisation and development, under the leadership of His Majesty.

Upon arrival at the site of the ancient city of Jerash, the King was received by Al Hussein Music Band, and the Roman Army Band, affiliated with the Jerash Heritage Revival Company.

Prior to the meeting, His Majesty inaugurated the Regional Centre for Training in Maintenance and Restoration, which aims to hone local skills in the field of conservation and restoration of antiquities, and was equipped and rehabilitated through a 3 million euro grant from the Italian government.

During the inauguration, Crown Prince Al Hussein said the centre will attract students from Jordan and neighbouring countries, as it is the result of a partnership between the Ministry of Tourism and partners in Italy, stressing the need to sustain the centre’s work to live up to expectations.

During a tour of the centre’s laboratories and halls, the King listened to a briefing by caretaker Tourism Minister Makram Queisi on the centre’s training programmes, where the first phase of training on the restoration of antiquities ended in June, and the field training phase in tourist sites is scheduled to start in October.

Queisi cited plans to link the centre with similar centres across the country, to exchange expertise.

During the meeting with Jerash figures, His Majesty bestowed the Silver Jubilee Medal on individuals and institutions in Jerash, in recognition of their contributions to serving Jordan, especially the local community in the governorate.

Caretaker Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, and Adviser to His Majesty for Tribal Affairs Kneiaan Bluwi attended the meeting.