At the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., allies agreed on an action plan for a stronger, more strategic, and result-oriented approach to their southern neighbors, highlighting the developing regional and global security picture. NATO claims this is a committed approach to increasing engagement and cooperation with its Middle Eastern and North African allies, including announcing the opening of its first liaison office in the region, in Amman, Jordan.

NATO cites the decision as recognizing what it calls Jordan's crucial position as a "beacon of stability" in both regional and global contexts.

The office is intended to strengthen political discourse and cooperation between NATO and Jordanian authorities, resulting in a "shared understanding of the national and regional context, and to the development and implementation of partnership programmes and activities, including, among others, conferences, courses, and training programmes in areas like strategic analysis, civil emergency planning and preparedness, crisis management, public diplomacy, cyber security, and climate change." 

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the opening was to foster cooperation with the alliance.

Miller comments on NATO discussions

In a US Department of State Press Briefing, the Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller was asked to comment about Arab foreign ministers present at the NATO summit in Washington and if he could elaborate on how much the war on Gaza would be a focus during the summit.

Among those are the foreign ministers of "Israel", Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, and UAE.

Read more: Spain PM calls out 'double standards' at NATO summit over Gaza

Miller told reporters that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would meet with these foreign ministers and heads of state, citing that he "would certainly expect" Gaza to be discussed, in addition to the possibility to "achieve a ceasefire" and a post-war plan.

"And not just the work to achieve a ceasefire, but the ongoing work that we are doing to try and develop robust plans for the day after the conflict to establish governance and security that would give us a path to lasting peace, security, and stability for the region," he maintained.

He added that Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State, will head to the Middle East to meet with officials to "advance those same lines of effort."

Touching on whether there would be a separate meeting involving Blinken and the aforementioned foreign ministers, Miller told reporters he was "not aware" of any such meeting that explicitly focuses on Gaza with those members. 

"It may be that there’s something as part of the overall summit that they’re involved, but I’m not aware of it."

Miller emphasized that Blinken would not necessarily meet with non-NATO members, but rather "people who were invited to be in town" will be participating in different events that are typical for this kind of summit, citing that some will be "bilateral meetings that happen here, some at the White House, some at the Defense Department," adding that this was a usual occurrence.

Erdogan warns against direct confrontation between NATO, Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated Thursday that the idea of a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO was "worrying", Anadolu news agency reported.

Erdogan's remarks came as NATO leaders huddled in Washington, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was contemplating "response measures" to counter the alliance's "very serious threat."

"The possibility of a direct conflict between NATO and Russia is undoubtedly worrying," Erdogan stated, adding that "any steps that could lead to this outcome should be consciously avoided."

On Wednesday, NATO issued a joint Washington Summit Declaration detailing the alliance's initiatives to further isolate Russia, strengthen security on its eastern flank, enhance security assistance for Ukraine, and assert that Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" to joining NATO, among other measures.

Russian news reports cited Peskov stating that NATO was now "fully involved in the conflict over Ukraine."

When Erdogan met with President Volodymyr Zelensky last year, he stated that Ukraine "undoubtedly" deserved NATO membership while his government attempted to mediate a peace accord between Russia and Ukraine.

Before heading to Washington on Tuesday, Erdogan advocated for increased NATO involvement in the war on Gaza, reiterating on Thursday his fears about the war expanding.

"Israel's threats and attempts to spread the conflict must come to an end," he told reporters, adding that "otherwise, our region will face the risk of deeper conflicts and even a war."