Safadi meets US State Department officials in Washington

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Tuesday met with a number of officials in the US State Department to discuss Jordanian-American relations and the two countries’ partnership in various fields.

The meetings focused on the new memorandum of understanding for the strategic partnership between the two countries, which frames the US aid for the Kingdom, replacing the current memorandum, which expires by the end of September 2022, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Safadi met with Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert, Director of the Office of Foreign Aid at the US State Department Dafna Rand, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Assistance Coordination Chris Hodges, State Department’s Global Energy Security Senior Adviser Amos Hochstein, and Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Nancy Jackson.

During the meetings, Safadi and US officials stressed the centrality of the Jordanian-American partnership, emphasising the necessity of deepening it in the service of common interests.

Safadi valued the support provided by the US to the Kingdom, highlighting its importance in helping Jordan in pursuing its development journey and confronting economic challenges, including those resulting from regional conditions, hosting refugees and the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the current memorandum of understanding, the US provided Jordan with annual support over the past four years, which amounted to about $1.65 billion in 2021.

The talks also dealt with regional developments, foremost of which are efforts to achieve just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution, maintaining a state of comprehensive calm in the occupied Palestinian territories, supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), reaching a political solution to the Syrian crisis and supporting Iraq.

Safadi expressed thanks to the US for announcing additional financial support for UNRWA, amounting to $99 million, last month, in addition to the $318 million it provided last year.

The meetings also touched upon joint efforts in combating terrorism and a number of regional and international issues of common interest.

Safadi and the US officials also discussed increasing cooperation in regard to environmental protection, confronting climate change and providing clean energy, including the two projects to supply Lebanon with Egyptian gas and Jordanian electricity.

The two sides affirmed the continuation of coordination and cooperation in order to resolve regional crises, create economic opportunities and achieve security and stability.

In addition, Safadi also met with a number of leaders of  American Jewish organisations in Washington.

Safadi began his visit to the US on Monday. He is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a number of senior US administration officials from the State Department and the National Security Council, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as research centres and media outlets.