Three bilateral agreements with Jordan were today signed by Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella and his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.

The agreements are for cooperation between the ministries of the two countries, the waiver of visas for diplomatic passports and the cooperation in combating crime and illicit trafficking of drugs.

The two ministers discussed the situation in the region, particularly in neighbouring Syria.

Dr Vella commended the efforts made by the government and people of Jordan to host close to 1.4 million refugees who fled Syria over the past three years.

The two Ministers also discussed the situation in Libya, the latest developments concerning the Middle East peace process and the growing threat of radicalisation and extremism world-wide.

Jordan’s relations with the European Union were also raised with both ministers reiterating their commitment to their further consolidation in the coming months.

Mr Judeh thanked Malta for the important role it played within the EU to ensuring that events in the Mediterranean and the Middle East remained on the fore of the international agenda.

The Ministers signed three bilateral agreements concerning

Dr  Vella visited the Al Za’atri Refugee Camp close to the Syrian border, which hosts close to 80,000 refugees from war-torn Syria.

He held lengthy discussions with UNHCR and Jordanian officials managing the camp, who gave a thorough rendition of the pressing challenges being met in addressing the needs of refugees.