Amman, Sept. 29 (Petra) – The Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee and Pakistan’s Ambassador Khurram Sarfraz Khan discussed Tuesday ways to expand cooperation in trade, education, tourism, and parliamentary relations.

Addressing the meeting, Committee Chairman MP Haitham Ziadin said Jordan and Pakistan should intensify parliamentary contacts and reciprocal visits, including closer coordination between the two countries’ foreign affairs committees.

He also called for higher trade volumes, broader economic cooperation, increased scholarships and student exchanges, and greater tourism flows between the two countries.

Ziadin said His Majesty King Abdullah II’s visit to Pakistan last November marked an "important" stage in bilateral relations, stressing the role of parliamentary diplomacy in expanding cooperation.

Committee member MP Huda Naffa highlighted the need for continued Jordanian-Pakistani coordination on issues of common concern in international and parliamentary forums.

Referring to the King’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, she cited concerns over Israeli expansion affecting water resources, settlement construction, displacement policies, and their implications for regional and national security.

MP Iman Abbasi reaffirmed Jordan’s support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and an independent state and rejected the genocide and displacement in the Gaza Strip.

She also called for stronger regional and international efforts to reduce escalation and said Pakistan’s relations with countries including China, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey could contribute to efforts aimed at addressing regional crises.

On education, Abbasi called for expanding academic and cultural exchange programs between Jordan and Pakistan.

Khan said bilateral relations include military, diplomatic, political, educational, and people-to-people cooperation, noting that a number of Jordanians, including doctors and engineers, have studied in Pakistan.

Urging stronger economic, trade, and industrial cooperation, he cited the joint ministerial committee meeting in Islamabad and efforts to establish a joint chamber of industry and commerce.

Khan said the two countries should move toward more "institutionalized and sustainable" cooperation through reciprocal visits, student exchanges, joint committees, and clearer mechanisms for documenting and maintaining bilateral initiatives.

He expressed his appreciation for the role of His Majesty King Abdullah II in addressing regional developments and for his commitment to exercising restraint and preserving the Kingdom’s security and stability, emphasizing the importance of continuing to build upon the strong ties uniting the two countries and peoples.

//Petra// AO