Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi will visit Türkiye on Monday on a trip aimed at discussing regional issues, including Israel, Gaza and Syria, according to a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın will hold a 3-plus-3 format meeting with the Jordanian delegation in the capital Ankara, the Foreign Ministry said.
Jordan’s chief of staff, Major Gen. Yousef Huneiti, and head of the intelligence department, Major Gen. Ahmad Husni, will accompany Safadi to Ankara, according to diplomatic sources.
Gaza
During the meeting, the diplomatic sources said, Fidan is expected to discuss Türkiye’s cooperation with Jordan in the fields of defense, counterterrorism and defense industry, as well as express satisfaction with the close collaboration between the two countries.
Fidan will share Ankara’s assessments on possible joint steps to achieve a lasting and comprehensive cease-fire to end Israel’s occupation in Gaza, they said.
He will discuss ways to enhance coordination and cooperation between Türkiye and Jordan in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza uninterrupted, the sources added.
Fidan will also reaffirm the country’s full support for Jordan’s role as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem and its preservation.
Ankara and Amman both denounce Israel’s relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 45,800 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on the enclave.
Syria
The Turkish foreign minister is expected to assess with his Jordanian counterpart the potential concrete steps to contribute to establishing a regular and inclusive transition process in Syria, a shared neighbor of both Türkiye and Jordan.
He will highlight the importance of supporting the new government in Syria for the stability of Syria and the security of the region, the sources said.
Fidan will underline Türkiye’s determination in its fight against terrorist groups in Syria.
Ankara has mounted multiple operations against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG, since 2016, and Türkiye-backed groups have captured several YPG-occupied towns in the past month, including Manbij and Deir el-Zour.
Türkiye says it trusts the new Syrian administration in the fight against the PKK/YPG and warns the group threatens the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The sides will also discuss the voluntary and dignified return of Syrians living in Türkiye and Jordan to their homeland.
A Turkish Parliament official on Sunday told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the number of people who returned from Türkiye to Syria since the fall of the Syrian regime was around 40,000 people.
Some 400,000 displaced Syrians who took shelter in Türkiye, Jordan and Lebanon or within Syria have returned to their homes since Dec. 8, 2024, according to the United Nations figures.
Türkiye is home to nearly 3 million refugees who fled the civil war that broke out in 2011. Ankara is in close touch with Syria’s new leaders and is now focusing on the voluntary return of Syrian refugees, hoping the shift in power in Damascus will allow many of them to return home.
The Turkish official said a migration committee of the Turkish Parliament would visit border cities to observe the safe return of Syrian refugees.
Bilateral ties
Safadi last visited Türkiye on Oct. 15, 2024.
Fidan visited Jordan’s Aqaba city on Dec. 14, 2024, to attend a meeting on Syria and also met with his Jordanian counterpart.
Fidan also spoke with Safadi over the phone on Dec. 23, 2024.
Regular consultations and mutual visits between Türkiye and Jordan, two important partners in the region, contribute to advancing their multifaceted relations.
The two countries are working closely together, bilaterally and multilateral, in response to developments in the region.
As of November 2024, the trade volume between the two countries had reached approximately $1 billion, and efforts are underway to increase this figure further.