AMMAN — Jordan’s
relationship with the US is institutional and one of the strongest in the
region, because it is based on trust, His Majesty King Abdullah said in an
interview with H.R. McMaster in Washington, DC, for the Battlegrounds series
by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, according to a Royal Court
statement.اضافة اعلان
“My father met Eisenhower as his first presidential
contact, and this is an institutional relationship, not only with consecutive
administrations, but with the military and the Congress, and it is a very
strong one, I think it is probably one of the strongest in the region,
especially based on trust,” King Abdullah said in the interview, which was
recorded last week and released Wednesday on the Hoover Institution’s
platforms.
In his interview with Battlegrounds, a
programme that features interviews with world leaders on their views on issues
of relevance to US foreign policy, His Majesty said Jordan lives in a
difficult region, and time has shown that Jordanians and Americans stand
shoulder to shoulder in the face of different conflict zones.
Answering a question on regional violence and wars,
the King said all regional stakeholders currently seek to look at the glass
half full moving forward.
His Majesty pointed to challenges in Yemen, concern
over the humanitarian disaster in Lebanon, in addition to two years of the
COVID pandemic, and the re-emergence of Daesh in Syria, Iraq, and Africa.
The King said his visit to the US was aimed at
coordinating with friends and planning tactically and strategically for 2022.
On his vision for joint Arab action, Jordan’s role in
the region, and the importance of isolating and countering terrorist groups,
His Majesty stressed that there has always been joint Arab action and
coordination against the threats of Daesh.
The King highlighted the importance of following a
holistic approach to address various challenges at the same time, pointing to
the role of Aqaba Process meetings, and expanding their scope to include South
American and Latin American countries.
His Majesty added that he engages with Arab leaders in
discussions on how countries in the region can find solutions for their own
problems, and “do the heavy lifting”, instead of seeking solutions from the
United States, noting that several meetings were held over the past months to
discuss charting a new vision for the region.
“So you will see Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq,
Egypt, and some of the other Gulf countries really coming together to tie in
and chart a vision for their peoples and have that coordination” before
requesting any help, the King added.
But His Majesty said he has consistently warned
American presidents that they ignore the Middle East “at their own peril”, and
therefore the Palestinian issue must be resolved.
“No matter what relations Arab countries have with
Israel, if we don’t solve the Palestinian issue, it is really two steps forward
and two steps back,” the King stressed.
Responding to a question on the relations between the
UAE and the US, the King called for understanding the nature of ties between
the two countries.
“I think the Emiratis are being put unfairly into a
box… Again, this is a nation that has spent 30 years in six campaigns fighting
side-by-side with the United States,” His Majesty said, adding “this is a very
capable, wealthy country that has investments all over the world.”
Answering a question on dealing with Iran, the King
cited diplomatic efforts from some Arab countries to communicate with Tehran,
adding, “we want everybody to be part of a new Middle East and to move forward,
but we do have security challenges”.
His Majesty noted that the presence of the Russians in
the south of Syria was a source of calm.
“That vacuum will be filled by the Iranians and their
proxies, so, unfortunately, we are looking at maybe an escalation of problems
on our borders,” the King said.
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