PM, Montenegrin president discuss ties, region

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour and visiting president of Montenegro Philip Vujanovic on Sunday discussed ways to cement cooperation between the two countries in economic, trade and political fields. Ensour said Vuyanovic’s visit would help to bolster relations and open new and broader scopes for cooperation in all fields, noting that Jordan and the former Yugoslav republic could use their geographic location as gateways that both these countries can access to reach regional markets. During the meeting, attended by the minister of industry, trade and supply, Hatem Halawani, and other officials, the Montenegrin president referred to the “promising” opportunities to increase cooperation, particularly in economic and commercial areas. The situation in the Middle East, particularly the Syrian crisis and its fallout on Jordan, and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, also figured high on the talks, held over a working lunch hosted by the prime minister in honour of the Montenegrin leader and the delegation accompanying him. Ensour said that throughout history, Jordan received waves of forced migrations, the last of which were the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees that it is hosting and noted that such mass migrations have overburdened the Kingdom’s limited economic resources. He emphasised support for efforts currently underway to reach a just and comprehensive peace in the region and said Montenegro is called upon to back such endeavours. The Montenegrin president hailed the efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah II to bring about regional peace.