Portorož, Oct. 20 (Petra) Jordan and the MED9 countries issued a joint statement on the Middle East on Monday, following the MED9 Summit held in Portorož, Slovenia. Following is the full text of the statement: "Joint Statement on the Middle East by His Majesty the King of Jordan and the Leaders of MED9 countries (Portorož, 20 October 2025) At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Slovenia Robert Golob, His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan participated in a meeting with the Heads of State and Government of the Southern Countries of the European Union (MED9): Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy. The meeting addressed the situation in the Middle East, in particular the latest developments in Gaza.
The MED9 leaders expressed their appreciation for Jordan as a reliable and credible partner with a key role as an anchor of peace, stability and security in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region.
The MED9 countries and Jordan share a commitment to the promotion of peace, security and stability in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region at large and recognize each other’s unwavering endeavours to achieve these goals.
The leaders welcome US President Donald Trump’s leadership and his proposal to end the war, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of the Palestinian people and advance a comprehensive peace, as well as his announcement against the annexation of the West Bank.
The leaders welcome the convening of Sharm El Sheikh Summit for Peace and the signing of the ceasefire agreement, hostage and humanitarian deal in Gaza. They commend the diplomatic efforts led by the US and supported, among others, by Egypt, Jordan, the KSA, Qatar, Türkiye and the UAE in negotiating this breakthrough. They emphasize the importance of the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, including the release of hostages and detainees. They call on all parties to fully commit to implement all phases of the agreement to end the war in Gaza and refrain from any actions that jeopardize this agreement.
On governance, they underline the need for Palestinian ownership and express their support for the rapid deployment of the Palestinian administrative committee as endorsed by the Cairo League of Arab States summit. They call for EU participation on the Board of Peace with regards to the long-standing support offered by the EU to a comprehensive peace.
They collectively express grave concern at the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and emphasize the need to ensure unrestricted delivery of sufficient and sustainable humanitarian aid into the strip, while stressing that international humanitarian law must be fully respected at all times.
They underline the indispensable role of UNRWA and reaffirm their commitment to continue supporting the agency in providing services to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, according to its mandate under UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (1949) and welcome its commitment and ongoing efforts to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report.
The MED9 countries acknowledge, in this context, the importance of Jordan as a regional hub for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction efforts for Gaza. They also reiterate the primacy of land corridors, noting that all routes, of land, air, and sea, including the Cyprus Maritime Corridor, are valuable in helping to meet the vast humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza.
They reiterate their strong condemnation of the continued worsening of the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, following increased settler violence, the expansion of settlements, which are illegal under international law, and Israel's military operation. They call on Israel to halt the E1 settlement plan and underline the need for the immediate release by Israel of withheld Palestinian tax revenues.
They stress the importance of commitment to upholding the Historic and Legal Status Quo of Jerusalem’s Holy Sites, both in word and practice, and reaffirm in this context the importance of the historic Hashemite Custodianship. Any change to the aforementioned status quo would have destabilizing effects.
They reaffirm their unwavering commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with internationally agreed parameters, international law and with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. They also affirm their readiness to contribute to all efforts towards this solution. All parties must refrain from actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution.
The Leaders express their support to Lebanon’s stability and to the fundamental role played by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). They reiterate the need to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and they call on all parties to fully implement Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement of November 2024.
The Leaders reaffirm their support to the Syrian people and their Government in its efforts aimed at rebuilding Syria on the basis that guarantees its security, stability, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, while promoting an inclusive political process and fulfilling the aspirations of all Syrians and preserving their rights.
They stress the importance of intensifying coordinated international efforts to create conducive conditions for the safe voluntary and sustainable return of Syrian refugees. Recalling the already strong EU financial support, the MED9 countries underline the urgency of scaling up international support to UN agencies in this regard, host countries, particularly Jordan, which continues to bear a disproportionate burden, in order to sustain essential services, ensure resilience of refugees and host communities.
The MED9 countries endorse the Roadmap announced by Jordan, Syria and the United States to end the crisis in Suwayda and Stabilizing Southern Syria, and they call for full implementation of the roadmap, and appreciate Jordan’s role in ending the crisis in the Suwayda governorate." //Petra// AF
