Jordan’s king meets Syrian president, reaffirms support for Damascus

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordan’s King Abdullah II reiterated support on Wednesday for Syria’s rebuilding as he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who arrived in Amman on his first official visit to the kingdom.

A royal court statement said the Jordanian monarch welcomed the Syrian leader upon his arrival at Marka Airport in Amman.

During the meeting, King Abdullah affirmed Jordan’s “support for Syrians to rebuild their country in a way that involves all components of Syrian society," the court said in another statement.

Discussions between the two sides covered "opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, energy, and, water," it added.

The Jordanian king also condemned "Israel's encroachment on Syrian territory," reiterating his country’s support for "Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity."

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on several locations in the Damascus countryside and Daraa province in southern Syria on Tuesday.

The attacks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for the demilitarization of southern Syria, saying that his army will stay in Syria’s buffer zone “indefinitely.”

After the talks, Sharaa left Jordan, concluding his brief visit to the country.

Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

The next day, Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration, who was appointed president on Jan. 29, tasked Mohammed Al-Bashir with forming a government to oversee Syria’s transitional period.