The king of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, visited the State House in Annapolis on Wednesday, meeting with Gov. Wes Moore on official business and participating in a roundtable discussion with business executives and educational leaders.

Abdullah met Moore and others who represent the state’s private sector, research and higher education institutions in the morning. The discussion was closed to reporters and the specific topics of conversation were not immediately disclosed.

Moore, a Democrat with a national profile still within his first two years in elected office, has occasionally met with heads of state and foreign ambassadors both in Annapolis and in Washington, D.C. He’s met with, for example, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in July in Washington — to discuss business opportunities between the state and the country — and he’s hosted the ambassador from Mexico in Annapolis in 2023.

Moore said Wednesday’s meeting recognized the first instance of a foreign head of state visiting the Maryland State House on official business.

“This is a historic moment, and for one we are truly, truly humbled and grateful,” Moore said.

Abdullah rolled up to the front of the historic capital building in a long motorcade at about 11 a.m. and was greeted immediately in the light rain by Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore.

Abdullah and Moore then participated in a 26-person, hour-long discussion with the state’s top business, tech industry and education leaders, including University of Maryland Baltimore County President Dr. Valerie Sheares Ashby, Aerotek President Thomas Kelly, Vice President of International Government Affairs for Lockheed Martin Nancy Schlegle and other private sector professionals.

Maryland’s private sector industries — like life sciences, cyber and IT — support thousands of jobs each year.

Ambassador of Jordan to the U.S. Her Excellency Dina Kawar, Director of Vision Oversight of Jordan Dr. Tareq Abu Ghazaleh, Director of Political Affairs for King of Jordan His Excellency Moath Al Zoubi, and Director of His Majesty’s Office His Excellency Ala’a Batayneh also attended Wednesday’s meeting with Abdullah, who said Wednesday marked his first official visit with any U.S. governor.

“I’m just delighted to have this opportunity to look at some synergies, which I know we definitely have,” Abdullah said to Moore.

Abdullah addressed world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday and also recently met with American governors at a meeting in July in Salt Lake City, according to the National Governors Association.

Wednesday’s visit isn’t the first time a member of the Jordanian royal family visited Maryland.

Nearly 30 years ago, Abdullah’s father, the late King Hussein bin Talal, had dinner at the Maryland home of a “high-ranking U.S. official,” Moore said.

While the governor joked with the king about Maryland cuisine, which he called “the best cuisine inside the United States,” the governor told Abdullah that their relationship “goes well, well beyond,” and that Wednesday provided opportunity to have “a vibrant discussion about our people, and our economies, and our opportunities, and also our futures.”

“This is a way to talk about common goals, to talk about common interests, and to talk about collaboration that we think is going to be so important,” Moore said.