Jordan opens in Amman the first NATO office in the Middle East

Jordan has announced the opening of a NATO liaison office in Amman in a statement shared by its foreign ministry's account on X on Thursday.

The military alliance's office in Amman is the first in the Arab region and comes as a result of close cooperation and "deep strategic ties between NATO and the kingdom", the statement said.

The decision was made during a historic NATO summit in Washington, which marks the 75th anniversary of the alliance.

"The alliance acknowledges Jordan's pivotal role in achieving regional and international stability and praises its extensive achievements in combating cross-border threats such as terrorism and violent extremism," the statement said, adding that the office will "contribute to enhancing political dialogue and cooperation in areas of mutual interest between NATO and Jordan".

"The establishment of a NATO liaison office in Amman builds on nearly three decades of deep bilateral relations, particularly through the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue," it said.

"The office will foster continuous communication between Jordan and the alliance, contributing to a deeper understanding of national and regional contexts and achieving the desired progress in implementing partnership programs and activities, including holding conferences, courses, and training programs in areas such as strategic analysis, emergency planning, public diplomacy, cybersecurity, climate change management, crisis management, and civil defence," the statement added.

Since the start of the Syrian war in 2011, Jordan has been a transit route for drug gangs trying to reach the Gulf and other countries.

Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Damascus has been pressured by Amman and Gulf states to curb the smuggling – especially of the cheap but highly dangerous amphetamine captagon.

Earlier this year, Jordan took military action inside Syria, striking and killing prominent drug lords. It has also issued several warnings for drug gangs to surrender themselves, following deadly clashes with smugglers along its 375km border with Syria.

NATO and Jordan already enjoy strong bilateral relations stretching nearly three decades, particularly through the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD), a NATO initiative established in 1994.

The Jordanian army already works closely with the alliance's forces and has deployed several hundred troops abroad to serve in UN peacekeeping missions, notably in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Libya.

Several western nations, including the US, have military bases in the kingdom.

According to the US State Department's website, Washington is Jordan's single largest provider of bilateral assistance. As well as money given to Jordan through USAID, Washington has also provides $425 million in State Department Foreign Military Financing funds.