Our army has been at war for six years — premier

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, Prime Minister Hani Mulki on Tuesday met with French Defence Minister Florence Parly, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

During the meeting, attended by Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani,، Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat and French Ambassador in Amman David Bertolotti, Mulki underlined Jordan’s keenness to enhance its cooperation with France in the military and defence fields. 

The King, Mulki said, has directed the government to work for institutionalising this cooperation in accordance with a well-designed programme and a fixed timeframe to serve mutual interests and joint plans such as defeating terrorism and preserving security and stability.

The premier expressed appreciation for the French support to Jordan in various sectors, noting that France is among the leading investors with an investment value of JD5 billion.

He outlined the regional situation and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis on neighbouring countries, including Jordan, which hosts 1.3 million Syrian refugees and suffers strained infrastructure and services.

Mulki noted that the Syrian crisis has doubled the amount of pressure on the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, which has been in a “state of war” for six years and needs more training and equipment, which, in turn, adds to the pressure on the public budget.

regarding the trilateral agreement that was signed by Jordan, the US and Russia to de-escalate the situation is southern Syria, the prime minister said it will pave the road for a ceasefire in southwest Syria and enhance stability.

He said that the current situation suggests an eminent end to Daesh, stressing the importance of the participation of all parties in Syria and Iraq in a post-war political process that ensures security and the start of a rebuilding process.

The prime minister said that the Palestinian issue remains the core regional problem, adding that the absence of a just solution is the root cause of all the area’s instability and mounting challenges and fuels the sense of despair and tendency towards extremism among its people.

on the latest developments in Jerusalem, Mulki underscored His Majesty’s efforts that led to reopening Al Aqsa Mosque/Al Haram Al Sharif, stressing the importance of restoring peace and respecting the legal and historical status quo in the holy city.

For her part, Parly reiterated keenness on enhancing defence cooperation with Jordan and exchanging expertise.

She expressed appreciation for the Kingdom’s role in preserving security and stability, while shouldering the refugee burden, according to Petra.