Jordan, Egypt leaders discuss ISIS threat, Mideast issues

Egypt and Jordan are working together to combat shared threats and tackle joint concerns.

King Abdullah II of Jordan met on Wednesday with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi to “discuss ways to cement ties between the two countries and a number of Middle East issues,” Jordan’s Petra News Agency reported.

The two Arab leaders discussed the forthcoming joint Jordanian-Egyptian committee to be held later this month, saying “the meetings should establish stronger bilateral relations and explore further areas for mutual cooperation.”

According to the report, they both agreed on the need to forge closer coordination and synchronization on “a host of issues the two countries see eye-to-eye on.”

The agency reported that the King said Jordan will always stand by Egypt “in all circumstances.”

The talks included discussions on the fight against terrorism, which is currently threatening the stability of both countries, with the two leaders emphasizing the need for “a concerned international and Muslim effort” to counter terrorist organizations, which they said “distort the true image of Islam.”

On the diplomatic process between Israel and the Palestinians, the two leaders called for “breaking the deadlock” in the talks and “launching serious negotiations” that will end with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.

There have been recent reports on an initiative to conduct direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians facilitated by Cairo.

The two also commended Palestinian Authority (PA) head Mahmoud Abbas’s move to achieve inner Palestinian reconciliation, which has so far been elusive.

On Syria, the two stressed the need for finding a political solution that puts an end to the crisis in the Arab country and prevent any spillover of violence and terrorism to neighboring countries.

Jordan borders with Syria and has encountered Islamic State (ISIS) attacks on its borders and inside the country, and Egypt has been contending with the rise of ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula.

They also discussed the latest developments in Iraq and Libya, which have been affected by ISIS.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

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