The Diplomat
King Abdullah II of Jordan is visiting Spain this week to meet with Felipe VI and the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and to participate in Cordoba in the meeting of the Aqaba Process, an initiative of the Hashemite monarch himself in favor of peace in the Middle East and against terrorism.
Abdullah II bin Al Hussein will be received today at the Royal Palace in Madrid by Don Felipe and at the Moncloa Palace by Pedro Sánchez. At the same time, Queen Letizia and Queen Rania will visit the National Heritage Workshop Schools and Employment Workshops. Afterwards, the King and Queen will host a lunch in honor of the royal couple of Jordan at the Royal Palace. The day will conclude at the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, in Cordoba, where Felipe VI will preside with Abdullah II the welcome dinner on the occasion of the meeting of the Aqaba Process.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, King Felipe VI and King Abdullah II of Jordan will attend, at the Palacio de la Merced in Cordoba, the meeting of the Aqaba Process, which will be dedicated to West Africa and Sahel. Among those attending will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.
The Aqaba Process is an initiative launched in 2015 by the King of Jordan to promote, through a series of international meetings, military and security cooperation, coordination and exchange of experience between regional and international partners to combat terrorism. Organized with a regional focus for each round, the meetings foster expert discussions on security challenges.
This working visit by King Abdullah II and King Rania of Jordan to Spain is similar to the one they paid in November 2015 with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries. The King of Jordan had visited Spain in April 2013, when he was received by King Juan Carlos. The first meeting between Felipe VI and Abdullah II as monarchs took place in September 2014 in the framework of the UN General Assembly.
Abdullah II has distinguished himself as one of the most active leaders in the Middle East in the search for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the two-state formula, repeatedly defended by Spain. In May 2017, the Hashemite monarch promoted the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held on the Jordanian coast of the Dead Sea, which brought together government, business and civil society leaders from more than 50 countries to design the future of the region through public-private cooperation. Felipe VI participated in that meeting.
