Jordan, US discuss developing defence and security cooperation

Jordan and the US on Friday discussed ways to develop their strategic partnership, particularly in the fields of defence and security.

This came during King Abdullah II’s meeting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Army General Mark A. Milley in Washington, according to a statement issued by the Royal Hashemite Court, of which Anadolu Agency obtained a copy.

The statement indicated: “The meeting discussed ways to develop the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States, especially in the fields of defence and security, in addition to international efforts in the war on terrorism.”

The Kingdom of Jordan and the US have joint agreements in the defence and military fields. Amman is also a member of an anti-Daesh international coalition led by Washington.

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The king of Jordan has been on an official visit to Washington since the beginning of July, during which he met US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and several US officials.

In a second statement, the Hashemite Royal Court pointed out that King Abdullah II met with a number of representatives of influential research centres in the US: “The meeting addressed all regional developments, Jordan’s positions towards various issues and crises in the region, in addition to the partnership between the kingdom and the United States.”

In another statement, the Jordanian Royal Court announced that the king held a separate meeting with Chairman of the World Bank Group David Malpass and the Director-General of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva.

According to the statement, the two meetings dealt with: “The kingdom’s efforts to implement economic and development plans aimed at providing job opportunities, increasing investments and improving the business environment and basic services, with the aim of achieving growth, while maintaining economic stability and protecting those affected by the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.”

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The meetings also tackled: “Ways that may be employed by the international institutions to back the recovery of the Jordanian economy from the recent crisis as soon as possible.”

Amman suffers from difficult economic conditions due to the many crises generated by the pandemic and its restriction measures, which affected all sectors in the kingdom. This led to further losses and increased the state of popular frustration over government policies that failed to address the ongoing problems.

The US is the main source of support to Jordan in terms of aid. In early 2019, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding under which Washington pledged to provide $1.275 billion annually to Amman over a five-year period.