Jordan relinquishes Saudi Arabia, begins talks with Riyadh’s top opponents in the region
SANAA, May 29 (YPA) – Jordan has been forced to abandon its traditional partners, primarily Saudi Arabia, and has begun to negotiate with the region’s top opponents, the Times Newspaper said.
The Kingdom of Jordan, the main component of Western security infrastructures in the Middle East, has launched negotiations with Turkey and Qatar in the past few months, and has even taken remarkable steps towards Iran, the newspaper quoted Jordanian officials as saying.
The change was an emergency, due to the seriousness of the demonstrations in the kingdom on the backdrop of the worsening economic situation, and the reduction of Saudi Arabia’s financial aid, which has supported the Jordanian economy for decades, the Times Newspaper added.
The Times quoted sources within the Jordanian government as confirming that Saudi Arabia called on its regional allies, including Jordan, to “choose their side” and show more solidarity in terms of boycotting Qatar and confronting Iran.
But a Jordanian source told the newspaper: “Our relations depend on our interests, and Jordan has no disagreement with Turkey, Qatar or even Iran, and the distance between us depends on the gains we make.”
The newspaper noted that the other reason for changing Aman’s approach was the wrath of King Abdullah II of US president Donald Trump because of his bias against Israel at the expense of the Palestinians.
The Jordanian source stressed that the US “deal of the century” expected to be announced soon will not bring stability to the region.
He added that “it is clear that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains the most important cause for Arab youth, to take the arms of terrorist groups, and there will be no positive change in this matter without a just solution to the Palestinian cause.
Jordan Ambassador to Israel Marwan al-Moasher said the kingdom could not radically change its approach, but it kept all options open in an attempt to “protect its back”.
King Abdullah met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February, on the backdrop of a “declared war” between Ankara and Riyadh on the issue of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.
E.M