His Majesty King Abdullah II and Slovenian President Milan Kotchan opened talks at the Royal Palace in Aqaba Tuesday on ways to develop bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The two leaders, who met over a dinner banquet held by King Abdullah and Queen Rania in honour of President Kotchan and his espouse, considered their meeting a starting point to build stronger relations.

Jordan and Slovenia established diplomatic relations at the level of honourary consuls in 1994 .

The Slovenian President and his wife arrived in Aqaba earlier on the day on a three-day state visit to Jordan. President Kotchan commended King Abdullah`s efforts to achieve economic growth in Jordan and expressed his admiration on the advanced educational level in the Kingdom. He also expected to meet Jordanian businessmen and investors on Wednesday to discuss available opportunities to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.

Talks during the meeting touched upon situation in the region particularly the ongoing events in the Palestinian territories where the King briefed his guest on his continuous efforts at all levels to put an end to the cycle of violence and pave the way for resuming peace talks.

President Kotchan paid tribute to King Abdullah`s key role in the region and to the realistic way he addresses issues in the region.

He said the voice of reason and peace expressed by King Abdullah serves as a means to surmount the current situation in the region .