The trip is Sharaa’s third abroad since he overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December [GETTY]
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman on Wednesday, with the royal court saying the pair discussed security along their shared border and the return of Syrian refugees.
The king greeted Sharaa at Amman’s Marka airport, the court said in a statement, with the two leaders then heading to Raghadan Palace for their first talks since Sharaa took power.
During their discussions, the king spoke of the need to coordinate “various challenges related to border security and reducing the smuggling of weapons and drugs… and creating appropriate conditions for the voluntary and safe return of Syrian refugees”, the court said.
On Wednesday, King Abdullah voiced “Jordan’s support for the Syrian brothers in rebuilding their country… in a way that guarantees Syria’s unity, security and stability”.
Jordan has blamed the rampant drug and weapons smuggling on pro-Iranian militias that held sway in southern Syria during Assad’s time. Sharaa pledged to stamp it out.
King Abdullah also condemned Israel’s strikes late on Tuesday on southern Damascus and in southern Syria near the Jordan border, the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on Syrian military targets.
The trip is Sharaa’s third abroad since he overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. His first visits were to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Sharaa was accompanied by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, who had visited Amman in January for talks with his counterpart Ayman Safadi.
During Shaibani’s previous visit, the two governments had agreed to work together to tackle narcotics and weapons smuggling.
Production of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon and other drugs soared in Syria during the civil war, with evidence uncovered after Assad’s overthrow showing heavy involvement by his government.
Jordan was one of only a handful of Arab countries to keep its embassy in Damascus open after the civil war broke out in 2011.
It hosted an international summit on Syria on 14 December, less than a week after Assad was toppled.
Assad’s downfall came after nearly 14 years of civil war that caused widespread destruction and left the country’s economy in shambles.
