Assad calls Jordanian King for 1st time since Syrian War

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made a phone call to Jordanian King Abdullah II for the first time since the Syrian War began in 2011.
According to a statement issued by the Syrian presidential official, Assad and King Abdullah II discussed bilateral relations and ways to boost cooperation to achieve the interest of both peoples during their call on Sunday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The relations between Syria and Jordan deteriorated significantly when the latter chose to support Western-backed rebels in the Syrian civil war.

The phone call between the heads of the two states comes as a part of the normalisation of the bilateral relationship, which also led to the re-opening of border crossings and the resumption of commercial flights.

In addition, Syria has agreed to a plan for allowing Egyptian gas to pass through Jordan and Syria to reach Lebanon, which is in dire need of energy supplies.

The two sides also reached an agreement to jointly develop the water resource on their borders.

Last month, Syrian Defence Minister General Ali Abdullah Ayyoub visited Jordan.


The 22-member Arab League bloc had suspended Syria's suspension in November 2011, months after the civil war was triggered by the brutal repression of anti-government protests - IANS