His Majesty King Abdullah is scheduled to participate in the ASPA Summit of South American and Arab Countries, which opens in the Peruvian capital, Lima, on Monday.

On Tuesday, King Abdullah will meet with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala on the sidelines of the summit.Unrest across the Middle East, including the Syrian and Palestinian issues, is set to dominate discussions at the meeting.

Heads of State and government from the Union of South American Nations and the Arab League will also participate in the summit.

Jordan aims at bolstering trade and investment cooperation with South American countries and building on the agreements already in place.

The Kingdom seeks to increase its cooperation with Latin American countries based on its framework agreement with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela), an economic cooperation agreement with Brazil and Argentina, and an economic, commercial and cultural cooperation agreement with Paraguay within the framework of cooperation with the Group of Eleven.

Trade between Jordan and South American countries reached JD345 million in the year 2011, with JD340 million in imports and JD5 million in exports.

Brazil and Argentina are the top exporters, while Peru and Venezuela are Jordan’s top importers.

Food products, woodwork, weaving, electronic supplies and tobacco top the list of imports from these countries, while chemical products top the list of exports from the Kingdom.

“Relations between the Arab countries, especially Jordan, and South American countries have witnessed notable developments. The King’s participation in the summit stems from the importance of developing ties to serve the best interests of both regions,” Jordan Ambassador to Brazil Ramez Goussous said in remarks to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

He pointed out that the agreements signed between the Kingdom and South American nations, especially with Brazil, crowned the King’s visits to various countries within the continent.