His Majesty King Abdullah has said regional peace can only be sustained if people in the Middle East have the opportunity to lead a productive and satisfying life.

“For that to be possible, the economies of our region must maximize their potential. There are opportunities for investment in infrastructure, for participation in a growing private sector and for developing markets,” the King said Friday in remarks at the Canadian Foreign Ministry's Lester B. Pearson Building, which was established in honour of renowned Canadian foreign minister and Nobel peace laureate who later became prime minister.

“Nothing is more important to the future.”

King Abdullah said more than 60 per cent of the region's population of 325 million are 24 or younger.

“That represents nearly 200 million young people who need and deserve a chance for a productive and rewarding life,” he told around 250 politicians, economists, journalists and intellectuals.

“These young men and women of today are truly the crossroads generation. This is a generation who can choose to respect others and reach out in cooperation, who can enrich the future with their talent, creativity and energy, and who can develop our regional economy into a strong global entity. To share in the promise of the 21st century, they need your support.”

On Friday, King Abdullah and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper called for a resumption of Mideast peace talks, saying only a two-state solution would end decades of Palestinian-Israeli violence.

King Abdullah said that the coming weeks would be "critical" to bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together to relaunch the peace process and that Canada's role in the resolution of this conflict was valued in the region.

"Canada's leadership role on the issue of Palestinian refugees is especially appreciated,” the King added.

The two leaders also announced accords on air transport and foreign investment protection and promotion, as well as plans to begin talks next year on a possible Canada-Jordan free trade agreement.