Jordan king embarks on Asia tour tomorrow

Jordanian King Abdullah II will begin a working trip to Asia on Sunday that will take him to Singapore and Indonesia.He will hold talks on cementing economic ties with the two countries and discuss regional and international political developments.The Jordanian leader aims to strengthen cooperation and coordinate stances on key issues in the region and the world, especially since Jordan currently holds the U.N. Security Council seat for Arab Asia and the Far East.The tour also aims at fostering business ties with the two countries and exploring new possibilities for economic cooperation with the aim of opening new markets for Jordanian exports in Asia and boosting commercial exchanges and Asian tourism to Jordan, particularly religious tourism.In Singapore, King Abdullah will hold talks with President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on ways to cement relations in economic and other spheres.The Jordanian leader will also brief Singaporean intellectuals and academics on Jordan's position towards different regional and global issues and will meet business leaders to explore ways to forge a more robust relationship between the private sectors of the two countries.From Singapore, the King will go to Jakarta for talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on various aspects of bilateral cooperation, and will meet as well with leading Indonesian businessmen to discuss the scope of building partnerships between Jordanian and Indonesian economic, trade and investment sectors.