Jordanian King Hails Strategic Partnership With Gulf States

 Jordanian King Abdullah II met Tuesday with GCC Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf at Al Husseiniya Palace (Petra news agency)
Jordanian King Abdullah II met Tuesday with GCC Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf at Al Husseiniya Palace (Petra news agency)
TT

Jordanian King Hails Strategic Partnership With Gulf States

 Jordanian King Abdullah II met Tuesday with GCC Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf at Al Husseiniya Palace (Petra news agency)
Jordanian King Abdullah II met Tuesday with GCC Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf at Al Husseiniya Palace (Petra news agency)

Jordanian King Abdullah II stressed Tuesday Jordan’s keenness to continue bolstering cooperation and strengthening the strategic partnership with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, especially in food and water security.

During a meeting Tuesday with GCC Secretary General Nayef Al Hajraf at Al Husseiniya Palace, the King reiterated his support for the outcomes of the 41st GCC Summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, which contributed to enhancing solidarity and stability in the Gulf Arab region, lauding the efforts of the GCC secretary general in that regard.

The meeting covered the latest Arab and regional developments, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause, with the King reaffirming the need to reach just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the two-state solution and in line with the Arab Peace Initiative, international law, and relevant UN resolutions.

King Abdullah also noted the importance of unifying the Arab front to counter challenges, and intensifying efforts to bolster joint Arab action, stressing Jordan’s support for efforts to advance Arab and Islamic causes.

For his part, Hajraf expressed appreciation for Jordan’s important role, under the King’s leadership, in promoting Arab solidarity and cooperation, noting the keenness of GCC leaders to enhance collaboration with Jordan.

On Tuesday, Hajraf also held talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on activating the strategic dialogue between Jordan and the GCC member states.

The two officials emphasized the importance of translating the "historical brotherly ties" between Jordan and the Gulf states into effective cooperation that would advance their joint interests and push forward natural integration.

Safadi and Hajraf also highlighted the proceedings of AlUla Summit and recommendations to support stability and boost development in Jordan and intensify efforts to implement the joint action plans that were agreed on within the framework of the strategic partnership between the Kingdom and the GCC.

Late on Monday, a Jordanian-GCC joint committee held talks on advancing cooperation between Amman and the Gulf.

Talks touched on ways to coordinate efforts aimed at implementing joint action plans within the strategic partnership framework, as agreed upon by both sides, a statement by the FM said.

The meeting, held via videoconference, was chaired by the Ministry's Secretary General Yousef Batayneh, and the Undersecretary of Regional & GCC Affairs, Waheed Mubarak Sayya.



Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
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Turkish Foreign Minister Says No Room for Kurdish Militants in Syria's Future

A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024.  EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE
A handout photo made available by the Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Office shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Syria's opposition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus, Syria, 22 December 2024. EPA/TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY PRESS OFFICE

Türkiye’s foreign minister said after meeting Syria's de facto leader in Damascus on Sunday that there was no room for Kurdish militants in Syria's future, calling for the YPG militia to disband.
Türkiye regards the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
Sunday's visit to Damascus by Hakan Fidan, the first foreign minister to visit Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow two weeks ago, came amid hostilities in northeast Syria between Turkish-backed Syrian fighters and the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast.
Speaking alongside Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, Fidan said he had discussed the YPG presence with the new Syrian administration and believed Damascus would take steps to ensure Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
"In the coming period, the YPG must come to a point where it is no longer a threat to Syria's national unity," Fidan said, adding the YPG should disband.
The SDF played a key role defeating ISIS militants in 2014-2017 with US air support, and still guards ISIS fighters in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the group would try to re-establish capabilities in this period.
Fidan said the international community was "turning a blind eye" to the "illegality" of the SDF and YPG's actions in Syria, but added that he believed US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach.
He said the new Syrian administration had told him during their talks that they could manage the ISIS prison camps, if needed.
In a Reuters interview on Thursday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi acknowledged the presence of PKK fighters in Syria for the first time, saying they had helped battle ISIS and would return home if a total ceasefire was agreed with Türkiye. He denied any organizational ties with the PKK.
The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Türkiye-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara.
Earlier, Türkiye's defense minister said Ankara believed Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all of the territory they occupy in the northeast.
Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halt support for the Kurdish fighters.
Ankara had for years backed opposition groups looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war. Türkiye also hosts millions of Syrian migrants it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.
Fidan said all international sanctions imposed against Assad must be lifted as soon as possible to help Syria start rebuilding, offering Ankara's assistance on matters such as infrastructure development.
Sharaa told Sunday's press conference his administration would announce the new structure of the defense ministry and military within days.