Academician Marwan Sudah
Observers and those interested in His Majesty King Abdullah II's meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow unanimously agree that the "Daraa case," primarily from a security perspective, will be the most important to explore and "determine its" fate. Daraa is of strategic, geographical, political and economic importance to Jordan. What happens there to date has and will continue to have a direct impact on the security of Jordan as a whole, as well as on other regional states.
His Majesty the King and President Vladimir Putin last met in October 2019 in the Russian city of Sochi, and there was a phone conversation on July 11, 2020, during which they discussed bilateral efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and the situations in Syria and Lebanon, according to official Russian news reports. This means that Jordanian-Russian contacts at the highest level continue, are not interrupted and will not be interrupted.
His Majesty the King visited Russia after His Majesty's successful visit to the United States. The visit led to many agreements concerning our region. Also recently, the Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Faisal al-Fayez, met with the Russian Ambassador to Amman, Mr. Gleb Desyatnikov. During the meeting, they discussed the reality of "friendly relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields, as well as the importance of bilateral cooperation, joint efforts to counter the coronavirus pandemic, as well as coordination of actions to restore security and stability in the region; mechanisms to intensify and improve investment and trade relations between the two countries on the basis of strategic relations between the two friendly countries; as well as work on the opening of Russian markets for Jordanian exports and agricultural products, reducing taxes for entering the Russian market and the removal of any obstacles to the activation of bilateral agreements relating to economic, tourist and investment aspects.
For his part, Desyatnikov stressed the need to develop and build bilateral relations in various fields, emphasizing that "Jordanian-Russian relations are strong and based on mutual respect, contribute to strengthening bilateral ties and serve the common interests of the two friendly countries and peoples."
On the eve of His Majesty's visit to Russia, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said in a press statement that President Putin's meeting with His Majesty would be a "working meeting."
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is the most important country in Southwest Asia, located in the heart of that continent and in a region that has been characterized by instability for decades. Thus, the major countries, regardless of their different political and ideological systems, their multiple goals and objectives, in addition to the countries of this region, also have an interest in security, stability and peace in Jordan. Jordan promotes peace initiatives and calls for understanding and the domination of reason and logic over the mechanisms of war and the threat of force, with the desire to achieve a comprehensive and complete peace and implementation of international resolutions, which focus on the Royal political leadership of Jordan on the need to respect them from the (Israeli) entity.
Not to mention the fact that Jordan has developed relations, including military, security and political, with major countries, especially the United States, and a large number of countries in the West and East, which see Jordan as a permanent historical region, and a reliable ally and friend. So they are eager to develop their relationship with the kingdom and work to neutralize all pandemics, to free the land until complete peace prevails.
Personally, I think that the first thing for His Majesty and President Putin to discuss will be the presence of Iranian forces and allied groups in southern Syria, especially in terms of defining the situation. Since Moscow has a developed relationship with Tehran, and therefore many believe that this situation will be discussed. For the final decision to withdraw these forces from southern Syria, their continued presence there could, God forbid, create an area of extremely negative impact on Jordanian security. In addition, discussions could include ways to accelerate energy cooperation between Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, as well as the use of Damascus and Beirut for Jordanian electricity generation, as well as other forms of economic relations.
The king's working visit to Russia gives this historically friendly country double credibility in terms of its more comprehensive role in our region and the provision of comprehensive security and stability for our peoples, which is also in Jordan's interest.
* Specialist in Russian and Arab-Russian affairs, Russian citizenship holder, head of the Association of Arab Journalists and Media Professionals who love Russia and Putin.