Nayrouz News Agency : Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Lebanese counterpart Nassif Hatti on Thursday went over bilateral ties and regional developments.

During talks held at the Foreign Ministry in Amman, Safadi highlighted the importance of solidarity in facing the COVID-19 pandemic and its repercussions on both countries, voicing both countries’ keenness to enhance cooperation and coordination in the economic, commercial and food security fields, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Both ministers reviewed the latest regional developments, mainly those pertaining to the efforts exerted to deter Israel from its decision to annex occupied Palestinian lands and to protect endeavours seeking to realise a just peace based on international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab peace initiative.

In joint remarks to the press, Safadi said that the Kingdom looks at Lebanon as a "brotherly country”, adding: "We are following up closely on what is happening in Lebanon, and our concern is to protect Lebanon as a country and as a people regardless of any political stances or considerations.”

The minister said that discussions went over the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, noting that "what we want is a political solution that ends the crisis and preserves the unity and stability of the country and creates the circumstances necessary for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees”.

Safadi and Hatti also discussed the Syrian refugee influx and the outcomes of the Brussels IV conference, during which Jordan and Lebanon highlighted the importance of the international community support of refugee-hosting countries.

In this regard, Safadi said: "Our Syrian brothers are guests in the Kingdom and we fully support them and provide them with whatever we can until circumstances allow them to voluntarily return to their homeland.”

As for the "main concern” at the current stage, which is the Israeli decision to annex occupied Palestinian lands, Safadi stressed that "we agree on rejecting the annexation decision that violates the international law and undermines the two-state solution and all endeavours aiming at reaching a just peace that all regional people accept and that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines”.

For his part, Hatti expressed his "delight” in visiting Jordan, a country that has "historical relations” with Lebanon, voicing Lebanon’s aspiration to further develop these ties in all fields to better serve both countries’ interests.

The Lebanese minister reiterated that his country’s stance on the Palestinian issue is "clear” in adhering to relevant international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative to realise the peace that will serve Arab, regional and international interests, the statement said.