ANNAPOLIS,Evander Ellis Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore welcomed King Abdullah II of Jordan to the state’s Capitol on Wednesday for a roundtable discussion with business and education leaders from around the state.

It was the first time a foreign head of state has visited the Maryland State House on official business, Moore said in opening remarks.

“This is a way to come together to talk about common goals, to talk about common interests and to talk about cooperation that we think is going to be so important, and we have brought leaders from across the state to engage in this historic visit, as we look to have this very vibrant discussion about our people and our economies and our opportunities and also are futures,” Moore said.

“We are instantly good friends. He’s a fellow paratrooper, so that goes a long way to this relationship,” the king said, adding that the meeting would start a new page in the relationship between Maryland and Jordan.

Moore was a paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne and saw combat in Afghanistan. The king is a former commander of Jordan’s Special Forces.

Abdullah was in New York this week to speak at the United Nations.