'Jordan is one of NATO's most valuable partners, King plays fundamental role in bringing regional stability'

AMMAN — NATO Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood Javier Colomina has reiterated the Alliance's deep-rooted relations with Jordan and the "fundamental" role His Majesty King Abdullah in bringing stability in the region.

Colomina's remarks came during an interview with The Jordan Times conducted on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels on December 4, which His Majesty attended.      

Asked on the significance of the King's attendance and his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the foreign ministers of member states, Colomina said, "It means a lot, we respect the partnership we have with Jordan very much, we respect His Majesty very much. It means a lot in both senses, as Jordan is one of our most valuable partners, and it means a lot of the respect we have for His Majesty."

"We believe Jordan and His Majesty play a fundamental role in bringing stability to the region and trying to understand the different challenges and threats to the region. It was an extremely useful conversation, the one we had with His Majesty. He is very knowledgeable and he was useful for ministers to understand what are the threats and challenges that the Middle East and the South are confronted today." 

Colomina said he has visited many countries from the South, including Jordan, Egypt and Morocco and will also visit the Gulf in the coming weeks "to uplift as much as possible the political engagement [with the region."] 

"I visited Jordan at the beginning of November; it was my intention to visit the most valuable partners that we have in the south. The South is of high importance and the Euro-Atlantic security is absolutely connected to the challenges and the threats that we see in the South. Therefore, we need to engage as much as we can with our partners in the South. I already visited Egypt, Morocco and Jordan, and will be visiting the Gulf in a couple of weeks. The goal was to uplift as much as possible the political engagement. As part of that, what could be best than having the King of Jordan discussing the threats and challenges with the ministers of the alliance."

On the political and strategic implications of the Liaison Office the Alliance in opening in Amman, he said that it is the culmination of the advanced NATO-Jordan relations and will open avenues for extra areas of cooperation.  

"The relationship we have with Jordan is today already very healthy, we have lots of areas of cooperation, we are using most of our partnership tools. The opening of the office will be a major change in how we cooperate with Jordan. It will open avenues for extra areas of cooperation, bring us a physical presence in Amman that will help us to achieve our mutual goals quicker. The office has a political meaning, prepared to build on the already excellent relationship, and contribute to the practical cooperation we have with Jordan."

He also explained that the NATO office in Amman will push the existing cooperation the Alliance has with Jordan, including in cyber security, countering terrorism, and crisis management. "There are many areas where the office will be helpful. It will mean a lot as well for the region, the Southern neighborhood, since it’s the first ever NATO office in the Middle East, which will help people on the ground to better understand the threats and the challenges that you are confronted." 

On the situation in Syria, the NATO official said, "We are all concerned with the development that we are seeing in Syria. We understand that it brings a lot of uncertainty for Jordan at the border, and we will be there to help Jordanian authorities."