After the NATO Vilnius Summit in Lithuania, NATO members stressed the “importance” of strengthening partnerships with the countries of the MENA region. According to a statement, NATO member states considered that instability in the Middle East and Africa region “directly affects our security and the security of our partners.” The statement noted that “the Middle East and Africa are regions of strategic importance,” highlighting NATO’s keenness to strengthen communication channels “with our old partners in the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.” The Alliance expressed its intention to raise the level of communication with relevant regional organisations, especially the African Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), adding that it is implementing plans to build the defence capabilities of Jordan, Iraq, Mauritania and Tunisia. In the closing statement, NATO stated that it would discuss with Jordan the possibility of establishing a liaison office for the Alliance in Amman, according to a high-ranking official in the Alliance who made his statements during a meeting the Jordan News Agency correspondent attended. In the meeting, the official confirmed that the prospective “NATO” office in Amman would be the first of its kind in the region and comes as a result of close cooperation between the two sides, explaining that the office would further strengthen the existing bilateral relations between the Alliance and the Kingdom and would serve as a gateway to enhance cooperation prospects between the Alliance and its regional partners. He revealed an upcoming visit to the Kingdom, likely in October, to discuss the possibility of establishing a liaison office for the Alliance in Jordan.
Source: Jordan News Agency