Jordan committed to cooperation with NATO in anti-terror fight — King

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday received NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and an accompanying delegation who participated in the Mediterranean Dialogue Seminar the Kingdom hosted. 

At the meeting, held at the Royal Court, King Abdullah stressed Jordan’s keenness to develop partnership and cooperation with NATO, and its commitment, as a partner, to working with the organisation and other regional and international parties to enhance peace, security and stability in the region. 

The King called for building on the outcomes of the recent NATO summit hosted by Wales in September, in a way that contributes to strengthening partnership among all stakeholders as they address common challenges. 

His Majesty also underlined Jordan’s stances on regional and international issues, especially efforts to combat terrorism and cross-border extremist ideology which, he said, threaten world security and stability. 

In this regard, the Monarch urged dealing with this through a holistic and strategic perspective that includes ideological, security and military aspects, referring to the important role NATO is playing to support regional and international capacity to address the phenomenon. He cited NATO’s provision of training and defence capabilities to some countries under an initiative launched during the Wales summit.

Regarding the efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East, the King stressed the centrality of the Palestinian issue as the core conflict in the region, warning that the delay in achieving a comprehensive and just solution would fuel extremism and jeopardise anti-terror efforts. 

King Abdullah also stressed the importance of finding a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis that ends the suffering of the Syrians, in addition to supporting all efforts to enhance the unity of the Iraqi people.

For his part, Stoltenberg voiced appreciation of the pivotal role Jordan is playing to enhance international peace and security, expressing NATO’s keenness to develop relations with the Kingdom to serve their mutual interests.

Also on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben met with Stoltenberg and the accompanying delegation, and discussed ways to boost cooperation between the Jordan Armed Forces — Arab Army and NATO.