Jordan’s <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/jordan/2022/09/20/jordans-king-abdullah-says-jerusalems-christians-are-under-fire-in-unga-speech/">King Abdullah II</a> and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq discussed regional crises in talks in Oman on Tuesday. The two men discussed ways to find "political solutions to the crises in the region," the official Jordanian news agency reported. "The king affirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the need to support the Palestinian brethren to obtain their just rights and achieve the just peace," the report said. The meetings were attended by the sons of the two leaders: Jordan's Crown Prince Al Hussein and Oman's Crown Prince Theyazin. Oman's Foreign Ministry said the talks aimed at strengthening "the bond of brotherhood between the brotherly Omani and Jordanian people”. They also discussed issues related to “regional and international developments”. Queen Rania is accompanying the king on the two-day visit. Jordanian state television said Omani and Jordanian officials will sign “agreements and memorandums of understandings” during King Abdullah's stay. These aim to strengthen bilateral ties and trade between the two countries, it said. Jordan exported goods to Oman worth $72 million last year and imported the equivalent of $79m from Oman, official data showed. The royal couple were met at a private airport in Muscat by Sultan Haitham, both nations' state news agencies confirmed. The monarchs then travelled to Muscat's Al Alam Palace, where they were met by the Royal Guard of Oman. Sultan Haitham escorted King Abdullah to a stage and cannons were fired 21 times in his honour. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/jordan/">Jordan</a> and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/tags/oman/">Oman</a> are both close US allies and have military pacts with Washington. Oman also has friendly ties with Iran. Jordan, despite its reservations about Iranian proxies fighting in Syria, generally steers away from directly criticising Tehran. Over the past decade, security ties between Jordan and Oman have strengthened, with King Abdullah praising the sultanate for mediating disputes in the region. Jordan has sent military advisers to Oman, while Omani troops have participated in US-supervised military drills in the kingdom. The two countries share “a middle, peaceful and balanced course,” Jordanian state television reported yesterday. Bilateral ties have improved “noticeably” since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972, which “serve security and stability in the region”, the report added. Jordan's most extensive ties in the Gulf have been forged with the UAE. In 2019, Jordan restored full diplomatic ties with Qatar, which were downgraded in response to the rift between Doha on one side and the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on the other. The six Gulf Co-operation Council countries employ most of Jordan's expatriate labour. Official data from 2018 shows that 61 per cent of the 800,000 Jordanians working abroad reside in Saudi Arabia, followed by 14 per cent in the UAE, 13 per cent in Qatar and 6 per cent in Oman. Official media quoted the king as telling political figures on Sunday that Jordan “will continue its moves in the upcoming period for [solving] regional issues and activating economic co-operation”.
