Baku, November 18, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Sami Abdullah Ghosheh.

Ambassador Sami Abdullah Ghosheh reviewed a guard of honor.

Presenting his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev, Sami Abdullah Ghosheh said:

- Mr. President, it is an honor for me to present my credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Republic of Azerbaijan and a letter on the recall of my predecessor.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev then had a conversation with the ambassador.

- Welcome, Mr. Ambassador! I welcome you to Azerbaijan and wish you success. I am sure that during your activities we will see the development of Jordanian-Azerbaijani friendly and fraternal ties.

As you know, our relations are at a very high level, and we successfully cooperate in many areas. I have very strong friendly and fraternal relations with my brother, His Majesty the King. As you know, many reciprocal visits of heads of state have been organized. We always meet during events of international organizations. At the same time, we always see each other during international events. Last month, we participated in a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Russia together. We have very close ties with His Majesty the King, and they play an important role in the development of our bilateral relations. We always support each other within the framework of international organizations, and this mutual support and solidarity will be continued.

I believe that at the next stage we should pay more attention to economic cooperation. So far, our trade falls short of our expectations. Therefore, it is necessary to take additional steps to increase the turnover. I believe that the intergovernmental commission will also take important steps in this direction. Issues related to mutual investment should also be carefully examined. There have been good advances in tourism of late, and I am sure that this positive trend will be continued. The famous historical monuments of your country certainly attract tourists from many countries to Jordan. In recent years, the number of tourists coming to Azerbaijan has also dramatically increased. In 10 months of this year, growth was at 11 percent. In October alone, compared to October of last year, a 25 percent increase was observed.

In a word, there are excellent conditions for the comprehensive development of our ties. I am sure that your activity will give a new impetus to these matters. Welcome again!

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Ambassador Sami Abdullah Ghosheh said:

- Mr. President, we are expressing our gratitude to you for taking the time to receive us despite your busy schedule, and for creating conditions for the presentation of our credentials. Please allow me to convey to you the greetings of the King of the Jordanian Hashemite dynasty Abdullah II. I wish the Republic of Azerbaijan and the people of Azerbaijan sustainable development and prosperity, and personally to you good health and a long life.

In accordance with the order of His Majesty the King, in my work I will make every effort to develop cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Together with my colleagues in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and with the help of other bodies, we will achieve even greater development of these ties. We will cooperate with our Azerbaijani colleagues to develop ties between the two countries in the field of economy, investment and tourism. Mr. President, His Majesty the King wishes to meet with you next month.

Mr. President, let me express to you my feelings of admiration for this magnificent development I have seen in Azerbaijan and for progress that spans all areas. I want to note, Mr. President – of course, I knew from pictures and photographs how beautiful and amazing the country of Azerbaijan is – but from the very first day here I became a direct witness to this. Of course, the first impression this unthinkable and unique progress makes on a person is that Azerbaijan is indeed among developed countries.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you. Please convey my sincere greetings to His Majesty the King.

I am grateful to you for the kind words about our country. I am sure that during your activity you will visit different regions of Azerbaijan, get to know our country and our people a little closer. At the same time, you will see that there is great sympathy for Jordan and its people in Azerbaijani society.