Jordan hosts regional meeting to discuss security, Syria

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Mar 2025 16:42

The discussions are set to focus on security cooperation, counterterrorism efforts, and combating organized crime, alongside broader regional dynamics.

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This handout picture released by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry shows the kingdom's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (3rd R) and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan (3rd L) during a meeting in the presence of the two countries' defense ministers, chiefs of staff and directors of intelligence services, on March 9, 2025 in Amman (Jordanian Foreign Ministry/AFP)

A high-level meeting between Turkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria convened in the Jordanian capital Amman on Sunday, bringing together the foreign and defense ministers of the five nations, along with their intelligence chiefs and military leaders.

Representing Turkiye at the meeting are Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin.

Later in the evening, the foreign ministers of the participating countries are expected to hold a joint press conference.

The discussions are set to focus on security cooperation, counterterrorism efforts, and combating organized crime, alongside broader regional dynamics.

The meeting aims to support Syria’s reconstruction, counterterrorism efforts, and the voluntary return of refugees, according to Sufian Qudah, the spokesperson of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.

Qudah emphasized Jordan’s support for the Syrian interim government’s efforts to uphold security, stability, and territorial integrity.

He also condemned any foreign interference in Syria and attempts to destabilize the country.

Furthermore, he stressed the need to intensify regional efforts in rebuilding the Syrian state.

Fidan, Guler, and Kalin previously engaged in similar talks with their Syrian counterparts on January 15 in Ankara, their Jordanian counterparts on January 6 in Ankara, and their Iraqi counterparts on March 14 in Baghdad.

The meeting came as more than 1,000 people were killed in Syria's coastal cities, including at least 745 civilians from the minority Alawite community, in recent days following clashes between the country's security forces and their allied groups and militants reportedly affiliated with the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

The Alawites are a religious minority to which the toppled al-Assad happens to belong.

The Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the offensive that toppled al-Assad in December, has vowed to protect Syria's religious and ethnic minorities.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, has reported multiple massacres in recent days, with women and children among the killed.

"The vast majority of the victims were summarily executed by elements affiliated to the ministry of defence and the interior," the monitor pointed out on Friday.