His Majesty King Abdullah on Thursday, held two separate meetings with Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and leader of the opposition in the Australian Parliament Bill Shorten.

The talks dealt with Jordanian-Australian ties, means to further enhance them, as well as the current developments in the Middle East and the world.

King Abdullah’s talks with the Australian foreign minister dealt with regional and international efforts to counter terrorism and extremism. His Majesty affirmed Jordan’s stance that calls for addressing terrorism with a holistic approach with the participation of concerned parties due to the threat posed by terrorism to global peace and security.

On Syria, the King highlighted the need to find a political solution for this crisis that caused the biggest refugee crisis in history.

The Australian minister expressed appreciation of His Majesty’s vision towards challenges facing the region, as well as the King’s support to efforts that aim at achieving peace in the region.

His Majesty’s meeting with leader of the Australian opposition Bill Shorten, dealt with relations between the two countries as well as regional and international developments.

The meetings were attended by the Royal Hashemite Court chief, the foreign minister and Jordan’s ambassador to Australian.

Also on Thursday, Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania visited the National Arboretum in Canberra and planted an oak tree and signed the guest book.

They were briefed on the history of the park which was established in 2005 following the fires that broke out in the area.