King Abdullah II of Jordan is to meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta next week as part of the Kingâs tour of Asia, which began on Sunday
ing Abdullah II of Jordan is to meet with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta next week as part of the King's tour of Asia, which began on Sunday.
'The King is scheduled to meet President Yudhoyono at Merdeka Palace on Wednesday,' the president's foreign affairs spokesman, Teuku Faizasyah, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Yudhoyono will also host a state lunch for King Abdullah at the State Palace after receiving the royal guest in a state ceremony, Faizasyah added.
The spokesman refused to disclose the topics to be discussed by the two Asian leaders but the two will likely cement economic ties as well as discuss issues in the Middle East, such as the Syrian conflict and the circumstances facing Palestinian people.
King Abdullah has also been scheduled to deliver an address at an interfaith peace conference titled 'Islam for Peace and Civilisation,' organized by Indonesia's largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), according to the Jordan News Agency PETRA.
He will highlight Islam's role in achieving the renaissance of the Muslim world, despite the challenges it is facing, and the Islamic values of tolerance, justice and equality, the agency reported.
The other country on King Abdullah's itinerary is Singapore. He is expected to hold talks with Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before leaving for Jakarta.
According to PETRA, at the top of King Abdullah's agenda would be forging closer ties with Singapore and Indonesia to develop common positions on key issues facing the region and the world, given Jordan's current status as holder of the UN Security Council seat for Arab Asia and the Far East.
King Abdullah is also said to be aiming his trip at fostering business ties, exploring new possibilities for economic cooperation, and eyeing new markets for Jordanian exports in both Indonesia and Singapore.
In Jakarta, for example, King Abdullah has been slated to meet with leading Indonesian businessmen to build partnerships between the two countries' corporations in trade and investment.
Indonesia and Jordan have had a historical relationship since diplomatic relations were opened in 1950.
Jakarta-Amman trade volume from January to November 2013 stood at US$438.59 million, with a $148.96 million surplus on the Jordan side. It represented a slight 3.65 percent decrease from $455.2 in the same period of 2012.
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