King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan has arrived in Astana on an official visit. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev personally welcomed the distinguished guest at the airport.
The official welcoming ceremony was held at Akorda. In honor of the distinguished guest, a formation of helicopters performed a flypast in front of the residence, carrying the national flags of Kazakhstan and Jordan. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and King Abdullah II then introduced the members of their official delegations, after which the commander of the guard of honor delivered a ceremonial report.
Following the ceremony, the President of Kazakhstan and the King of Jordan held talks. The discussions focused on economic cooperation, which remains one of the key drivers of bilateral relations. Over the first eight months of this year, bilateral trade reached $3.5 million, exceeding the figure recorded for the entire previous year. There is also significant potential to expand cultural and humanitarian cooperation, including by strengthening academic and scientific ties and increasing tourist flows in both directions. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the practical implementation of the agreements reached across all areas of mutual interest.
«Jordan is our time-tested and reliable partner in the Arab world. Over the last years our partnership has gained a new momentum. We are proud of firm political dialogue that we maintain at different levels. Last year was very special in our bilateral relations as we paid reciprocal visits. The joint statement that we adopted and many documents signed between our ministries, agencies and businesses made powerful boost to our multifaceted cooperation,» Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
The Head of State also highlighted the convergence of the two countries’ approaches to current international and regional issues and praised the King of Jordan’s contribution to strengthening friendly ties and bringing the peoples of the two countries closer together.
«Kazakhstan highly values the Aqaba Process, launched by your Majesty more than a decade ago. It’s a great honour to co-host first ever meeting of this format in Central Asia. The theme of the session on security in the field of artificial intelligence is particularly timely. I believe it will bring a valuable perspective from our region and add new strength to our joint efforts for peace and security,» Kassym-Jomart Tokayev added.
King Abdullah II stressed that Kazakhstan and Jordan share longstanding relations and mutual respect, as well as a common commitment to promoting peace and stability. King Abdullah II expressed his sincere appreciation to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for jointly organizing a new round of meetings under the Aqaba Process. He noted that this reflects the two countries’ shared commitment to addressing regional and global security challenges.
«Last year’s exchange of visits provided important momentum, as you said, to our bilateral relations. And we look forward to building on that to advance cooperation in key sectors such as you’ve mentioned in trade, investment, tourism, technology and defense,» Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein noted.
In recognition of his contribution to fostering the strong bonds of friendship between Kazakhstan and Jordan, the President awarded King Abdullah II the Order of Al-Farabi. The monarch became the first person to receive this distinguished award. King Abdullah II, in turn, presented President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Jordan’s highest state decoration, the Order of Al-Hussein bin Ali.
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