NATO to open office in Jordan, in first official representation in Middle East

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is set to open a liaison office in Jordan’s capital, Amman, making it the first such official office for the military alliance in the Middle East.

According to a statement by NATO earlier this month, which was released amid the recent NATO summit marking its 75th anniversary in the US capital, Washington, the military alliance’s member states and the Jordanian government agreed to open a liaison office in Amman, in a move which “marks a significant milestone in the deep strategic partnership between Jordan and the Alliance”.

With the office intended to reinforce cooperation between NATO and countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, the statement said that the move “acknowledges Jordan’s significant role as a beacon of stability in both regional and global contexts, and as a long-time champion in fighting transnational threats, including terrorism and violent extremism”.

NATO’s office in Amman is set to act as representative office which would “enable regular engagement between NATO and the Jordanian authorities, thus contributing to a better shared understanding of the national and regional context, and to the development and implementation of partnership programmes and activities, including, among others, conferences, courses and training programmes in areas like strategic analysis, civil emergency planning and preparedness, crisis management, public diplomacy, cyber security and climate change”.

Aside from addressing the aforementioned threats and challenges, the military alliance’s new representation in the Middle East will reportedly address its growing concerns regarding Iran and Russia’s increased influence in the region.

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