( minutes read)
· In a significant development, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was on a whirlwind visit to Jordan
· Regional development issues including the Palestinian peace process also came up for bilateral engagements
· Jordan King Abdullah underscored the need to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-nation solution, through establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital
In a significant development, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi was on a whirlwind visit to Jordan. He was received by Jordan’s King Abdullah II, when he along with an entourage arrived at Amman military airport.
The two leaders huddled together for a discussion which covered a range of subjects including strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields and mechanisms to expand tripartite Jordanian-Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation. Regional development issues including the Palestinian peace process also came up for bilateral engagements. Jordan King Abdullah underscored the need to achieve a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-nation solution, through establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. The visiting dignitaries from Egypt included Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, the Head of General Intelligence and the Commander of the Republican Guards.
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There are reports from Annan that the visit was largely about Iran and Syria, quoting some high level sources, coming just after the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s tour of the region. Pompeo, among other things, suggested creation of a pan-Arab military alliance. While a section of foreign policy experts welcome the latest move, there are people who hold the view that foreign policy of the region should be shaped by actors in the region and not to be imposed from outside. They also feel that with Joe Biden becoming the US President, there is the possibility of a change in the US foreign policy. One has to wait and see how that will be played out. The meeting in Amman was also attended by Jordan’s crown prince, Hussein Bin Abdullah, the Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi, and Egyptian foreign minister.
