Nato chief lauds anti-terror partnership with Jordan

Jens Stoltenberg told King Abdullah that Jordan was crucial in the fight against ISIS

epa08126681 Jordan's King Abdullah II prior to a meeting with EU Council President Charles Michel at EU council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 14 January 2020. Jordan's King Abdullah II is expected to deliver a speech at plenary session of European Parliament in Strasbourg on 15 January.  EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET
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Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that Jordan is one of the transatlantic alliance’s closest global partners as they continue their work against international terrorism.

It came as Jordan’s King Abdullah visited Nato headquarters for talks on the situation in the Middle East.

“I really appreciate the close partnership between Jordan and Nato and your strong commitment and your strong leadership,” Mr Stoltenberg said.

“I think all the turmoil we see in the region, you are an island of stability in that region and you have been at the forefront fighting terrorism and therefore we think that the partnership between Jordan and Nato is even more important now because the fight against Daesh is not over and therefore we have to stand together,” he added.

King Abdullah lauded the role of Nato in training Jordanian troops.

“Unfortunately we have many challenges in our part of the region but it shows that Nato and Jordanian troops have been shoulder to shoulder in many different fields, we’ll continue to do so,” he said.

Earlier this week King Abdullah warned that ISIS was regrouping in areas of Syria and Iraq.

According to an article in ISPI last year by Curtis Ryan from Appalachian State University in the United States, Jordan remains a key moderate Nato partner in a tumultuous region.

It has “carved for itself a moderating and stabilising role in a region that is often viewed as immoderate and unstable”, Mr Ryan wrote.

“Nato-Jordan partnership has increased steadily over time, especially since the 1990s. This is reflective of Jordan’s broader foreign policy stances, and its extensive ties with Western powers and global institutions,” he added.