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Jordan announces defence agreement with US 

March 23, 2021 at 3:55 pm

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in Moscow, Russia on 3 February 2021 [Russian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency]

Jordan and the United States announced a defence agreement on Sunday that allows American troops, aircraft and vehicles to enter the Hashemite Kingdom, AFP has reported. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told the parliament in Amman that the agreement was the fruit of lengthy negotiations.

According to published details of the agreement, “US forces may possess weapons and circulate with them on Jordanian territory while exercising their duties.”

Last year, Jordan joined the US-led coalition of forces against Al-Qaida, Daesh and their regional and global affiliates.

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The United States is Jordan’s single largest provider of bilateral assistance, said the State Department. Last year, Washington provided the Kingdom with more than $1.5 billion.

Jordan is not a member of NATO, but in 1996 it was designated as a major non-NATO ally. This provides opportunities for participation in cooperative research and development, priority delivery of Excess Defence Articles (EDA), and reciprocally-funded cooperative training.

The Kingdom received three C-130 aircraft, MEI-23E Hawk missiles and cargo trucks through the EDA programme in 2014.