Egypt Daily News – Jordan’s King Abdullah and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara agreed on Wednesday to work together to secure their shared border against arms and drug smuggling.
During a meeting with Al-Shara in Amman, the Jordanian monarch also condemned Israel’s airstrikes late Tuesday night on southern Damascus and southern Syria near the Jordanian border. These strikes are the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on Syrian military targets.
The Jordanian Royal Court stated that the two leaders agreed on the importance of coordination for border security and combating arms and drug smuggling—an issue Jordan has struggled to control along its border during the rule of ousted President Bashar Al-Assad.
Jordan has blamed the spread of drug and arms smuggling on Iran-backed militias that controlled southern Syria under Assad’s rule. Al-Shara has pledged to eliminate them.
This marks the Syrian interim president’s third foreign visit since assuming power, following trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey after leading the opposition forces’ offensive that ousted the Iran-backed Assad.
Assad’s relations with most Arab nations and neighboring countries had been strained throughout Syria’s nearly 14-year-long war.
Jordan, which hosted the first international conference on Syria a week after Assad was forced to flee, hopes to see a peaceful political transition in Syria to prevent a resurgence of chaos and instability along its border.
The Jordanian king welcomed the outcomes of the historic National Dialogue Conference held at the presidential palace in Damascus on Tuesday, calling it “an important step toward rebuilding Syria in line with the aspirations of the Syrian people.”
Jordanian officials have expressed readiness to assist Syria in reconstruction efforts and have pledged to help alleviate its severe energy shortages by supplying electricity and gas.
