MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. Without Russia, it is impossible to make serious headway in the settlement process in the Middle East, where the Russian Federation plays an important role, Jordanian King Abdullah II said Thursday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

“The world should realize that without Russia, it is nearly impossible to make serious progress in the region,” Abdullah II said. “Of course, we are very grateful to Russia for the role it plays in the Mideast region.” He added that Moscow plays an important part in the Palestino-Israeli settlement and in the efforts to end the Syrian crisis.

“Besides, Russia and Jordan stand shoulder to shoulder in counteraction to terrorism and extremism in the region and worldwide,” the king emphasized.

Putin, in turn, noted Jordan’s stabilizing role in the Middle East where “the situation tends to deteriorate”.

The Russian leader stressed that bilateral relations are developing and added that the leadership of the Russian Federation and Jordan are in constant contact. “We have good projects, and, which brings a special joy, trade turnover has sharply risen over the past year. It is not big in terms of figures but the tendencies are very good,” Putin said.

The Jordanian king said his country appreciates bilateral relations, which are growing stronger.

According to materials prepared for the meeting, Russian-Jordanian trade turnover in January-May 2014 totaled $239.2 million, which is more than seven times higher than last year’s figures.

The two countries cooperate in the sphere of power industry, in particular, on a project to build a nuclear power plant in Jordan whose completion is scheduled for 2020.

Jordan also displays interest in cooperating with Russia in the agricultural sphere, in particular, in “supplies at preferential prices [to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan] of wheat and barley", the materials say.