Syria, Jordan FMs meet ahead of Amman meeting on Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian foreign ministerand his Jordanian counterpart discussed on Monday border security and counter-narcotics issues prior to the launch of the Amman consultative meeting on Syria.
This came at a bilateral meeting between Ayman al-Safadi Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Faisal Mekdad Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates following the latter’s participation in the quadripartite meeting held in the Jordanian capital Amman, which discussed efforts to reach a political solution in Syria.
The ministers talked about border security, counter-narcotics, water, and refugees issues.
Jordan, which hostshundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, witnesses semi-daily drug smuggling operations on its northern border with Syria. Jordanian authorities intensified drug control efforts holding Syria part of the responsibility.
In tandem with the bilateral meeting, the Jordanian army announced deterring an attempt at infiltration and smuggling of large quantities of narcotics coming from Syria, which resulted in the death of one smuggler as others escaped into Syrian territory.
The Jordanian foreign minister discussed with Mekdad “efforts to launch a leading Arab role” in order to achieve a political solution for the Syrian crisis.
The spokesperson for Jordanian Foreign Ministry, Sinan Majali, said earlier that the meeting complemented the consultative meeting of the States of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt that was held in Jeddah in mid-April.