Jordan king receives 1st call from Syria’s Assad since 2011

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordan’s Abdullah II received a phone call from Syrian regime President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, their first contact since 2011, the palace said.

The phone call dwelt on relations between the two countries and ways of boosting bilateral cooperation, the Royal Court said in a statement.

The Jordanian king reiterated his country’s support “to efforts aimed at maintaining Syria’s sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity,” the statement said.

Sunday’s contact comes amid efforts by Amman and Damascus to normalize their relations.

On Sept. 19, Jordan’s army chief of staff Yousef Huneiti met in Amman with Syrian Defense Minister Ali Ayyoub. Four days later, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi met with his Syrian counterpart Faisal al-Mekdad in New York on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

On Sept. 29, Jordan reopened the Jaber border crossing with Syria after a two-moth closure.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara