Jordan: minister says Syria crisis can only be resolved with US-Russian dialogue

Jordan’s foreign minister has said that the Syrian crisis can only be resolved through exclusively US-Russian dialogue, alongside a collective Arab role.

“Russia has a major role in any effort to resolve the Syrian crisis, and an important role in stabilising southern Syria,” Ayman Safadi told Asharq news channel. “The crisis cannot be resolved without US-Russian dialogue, but it is a disaster that must end, and a political solution in Syria will preserve its unity.”

The minister stressed that Jordan is paying a price for the Syrian crisis, and is coordinating with Syria in several productive sectors, including security coordination. “The relationship with Syria is based on indispensable and necessary cooperation,” he pointed out.

Safadi’s remarks came days after the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Jordan, Major General Yousef Al-Hunaiti, was visited by the Syrian regime’s Minister of Defence, General Ali Ayoub, in Amman. According to local media, the two senior officers discussed issues of common concern. “The foremost of these is the coordination of efforts to ensure the security of the common border as well as the situation in southern Syria, combating terrorism and joint efforts against cross-border smuggling, especially drug smuggling.”

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