Judeh visits Hariri: Jordan and Lebanon most affected by Syrian refugees

Prime Minister Saad Hariri received this afternoon at the Grand Serail, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriate affairs Minister Nasser Judeh, who said after the meeting: "I had the honor this morning to meet with the President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, and conveyed to him a written message from King Abdullah II , that included an invitation to attend the Arab summit that will to be hosted by Jordan next March.
We hope that his Excellency will accept the invitation because his presence would have a significant impact on the success of the summit. I took also the opportunity to convey to the president the greetings of his Majesty the King and his sincere congratulations for his election as president of Lebanon and the formation of the new government." 

He added: "I also had the honor to meet with Prime Minister Hariri, and conveyed to him a message of friendship and solidarity from His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister and the people of Jordan. The political scene in Lebanon has been completed and this increases our hope and our wishes for Lebanon to play its role on the Arab, regional and international arena, with its rich experience and political path that enrich the debate and dialogue in the Arab and international framework." 

He continued: "There is a historical brotherly relationship between the Jordanians and the Lebanese, and I do not say that as a compliment, these relations are decades old, at the level of leaders, people, businessmen and business women. We pray to God Almighty that 2017 will be a good year for Lebanon and the Arab nation.
We want to see more security, prosperity, stability in Lebanon, and we hope to continue to develop our bilateral relations at all levels. I am in continual contact with the Lebanese Foreign Minister and there is communication between all officials in the various political, economic, and artistic fields.
We and you in Lebanon are more than two closer neighboring Arab countries to Syria and we are suffering from the humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis and the problem of Syrian refugees, which is causing a lot of burden on our economies." 

He continued: "Jordan hosts Syrian refugees who make about 21 or 22% of its population, and for Lebanon, this figure exceeds thirty percent. So we have to address the international community with a unified discourse and continue to coordinate to bear this great burden that affects vital sectors of our economic infrastructure, such as water, energy, education and health, and we are countries with limited resources." 

He concluded: "The main objective of the visit is to invite President Aoun to participate in the summit, but it is also an opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Hariri and Speaker Nabih Berri, to convey the greetings of His Majesty the King and the friendship of the Jordanians, and congratulate them on these positive political developments and express our conviction that Lebanon will become strong again and will play the role it deserves."

Source:NNA