Looking forward to meeting Jordan King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, tweets PM Narendra Modi; several pacts likely to be signed

PM Narendra Modi and visiting Jordan King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein are scheduled to hold crucial talks on Thursday.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein will hold a discussion and explore ways to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two sides on Thursday.

PM Modi took to Twitter and said that he is looking forward to meeting the visiting Jordanian leader.

''Looking forward to meeting His Majesty King Abdullah II today. We will take part in a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’ at 10:30 this morning in Delhi. After that, we shall be holding talks aimed at boosting India-Jordan relations,'' he tweeted this morning.

Looking forward to meeting His Majesty King Abdullah II today. We will take part in a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’ at 10:30 this morning in Delhi. After that, we shall be holding talks aimed at boosting India-Jordan relations. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 1, 2018

The two leaders are likely to discuss the Palestinian statehood issue and ways to deal with terrorism, radicalisation and extremism, PTI had reported citing official sources. 

Jordan's King had arrived in India on February 27, 2018, on a three-day state visit. 

He was accorded a grand welcome with Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving him at the airport, in a special gesture.

Welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II to Delhi. It’s wonderful to meet him again, after my brief halt at Amman earlier this month. His visit to India will further deepen bilateral ties between our nations. I look forward to our talks on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/MUWsd3rxyj — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2018

The Jordanian King's visit comes nearly three weeks after PM Modi travelled to Jordan as part of his trip to West Asia, including Palestine

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had on Wednesday called on King Abdullah and discussed with him ways to enhance bilateral ties in a range of sectors.

On the other hand, the Union Cabinet gave its nod to sign a host of pacts with Jordan, including cooperation in the field of health, manpower, customs and mining.

It approved signing a MoU with Jordan on cooperation and mutual administrative assistance in customs matters. This will help in the availability of relevant information for prevention and investigation of offences related to customs violation.

"The agreement is also expected to facilitate trade and ensure efficient clearance of goods traded between the countries," an official statement said. 

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, also gave its approval for a pact for cooperation between India and Jordan in the field of manpower.

The pact aims at enhancing collaboration between the two sides in promoting best practices in the administration of contractual employment, reflect the latest reforms in recruitment processes and enhance protection and welfare of Indian workers in Jordan.

"Collaboration between the two sides in use of online portal for recruitment of Indian manpower is expected to usher in greater transparency and curb malpractices in the recruitment process," the statement said.

The Cabinet also gave its approval for cooperation between the two countries in health and medical science and will cover areas like Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health system governance, services and information technology in health, among others.

The areas also include health research, national health statistics, health finance and economy, chronic disease control, tobacco control, diagnosis, treatment and medication in tuberculosis and regulation of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

(With PTI inputs)