Jordan to take part in Mecca emergency summits over recent attacks on Gulf

AMMAN — Jordan will be participating in the Arab and Islamic summits set to be held in Mecca on May 30, an official source told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

The emergency summits, called on by Saudi Arabia, are meant to address the “dangerous implications” of the sabotage attacks that targeted four commercial ships near the coast of the UAE and the attacks that targeted oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia, the source said. 

The source highlighted that the Kingdom will take part in any efforts that guarantees the security of Arab countries, adding that “Jordan stands against any escalation in the region”. 

“Maintaining the peace and stability of Arab Gulf countries is a permanent Jordanian stance,” the source said, adding that “their security is Jordan’s security”. 

The official indicated that Jordan, like all Arab states, aims to protect the region from those who seek to tamper with it. 

The summits in Mecca reaffirm Arab solidarity and the strength of relations between Jordan and the Arab Gulf, the source underscored. 

“Jordan and GCC countries view each other as strategic partners,” according to the source. 

The source stated that the efforts of participating countries consolidate Arab solidarity and support the region’s causes.

Meanwhile, Lower House Speaker and President of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU) Atef Tarawneh on Tuesday welcomed the upcoming summits, calling on the leaders to seize the opportunity to demonstrate Arab solidarity and urging unity of efforts and putting aside differences to confront the challenges threatening the Muslim and Arab nations’ security and stability, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The timing of the summits aligns with the complicated regional political situation especially in the strategic Arab Gulf countries in light of the recent military escalation between Tehran and Washington, Tarawneh said.

On behalf of the APU, Tarawneh called on Iran to cultivate better relations with Arab countries through translating its statements into practical steps on the ground that show its willingness to avoid violence, according to Petra.

The APU president also called on Iran to resolve all international disputes peacefully on the basis of the UN Charter, urging Tehran to refrain from interfering in the region.