The first-ever summit between EU leaders and Jordan’s political elite in Amman confirmed that the European Union sees the Middle Eastern country as a beacon of stability in a turbulent region. The EU has pledged billions more to support refugees staying in Jordan. The joint statement is rather critical of Israel, but makes no mention of Russia as an aggressor in the Ukraine war.
The Thursday meeting was attended by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President António Costa, who were received by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. From the Jordan’s standpoint, the clear promise of continued generous financial assistance from the EU is a success. The EU is counting on Amman as a stable and predictable partner in a region plagued by war, displacement, and poverty.
Billions to protect refugees
Jordan has struggled for decades under the burden of hosting millions of refugees. These include Palestinians expelled by Israel from their homeland as well as Iraqis, Yemenis and Sudanese fleeing conflict in their home countries. Recently, Jordan became one of the main host countries for Syrians displaced by the Syrian civil war.
The European Union reaffirms its continued support to refugees and host communities in Jordan. – Joint Statement of Jordan–EU Summit
The joint statement issued after the summit confirms that the EU “reaffirms its continued support to refugees and host communities in Jordan”. The document also states that the Union “remains steadfastly committed to supporting Palestinian refugees in Jordan”.
In financial terms, the EU has spent more than €4bn on humanitarian aid and macro-financial support to help Jordan cope with the fallout of the Syrian war since 2011. Now, the EU is putting forward a support package of €3bn. It consists of €1bn in Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA), €640m in grants, and €1.4bn in public and private investments.
Situation in Gaza still ’catastrophic’
The longest paragraph of the twenty-point joint statement is devoted to the situation in the Gaza Strip. Parites call the humanitarian situation in Gaza ’catastrophic’ and call for the rapid, safe and unimpeded delivery and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid.
The document is rather critical to Israel at many points. “We express grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, reject and strongly condemn any annexation attempts and settlers’ violence (…) Any expulsion or displacement of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank is illegal under international law,” the joint statement reads.
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Syria, Lebanon…and Ukraine
On Ukraine, the document is relatively light-worded. “We reaffirm our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders,” the document says, without naming Russia as aggressor.
This is clearly a compromise resulting from the long-standing friendly relations between Jordan and Russia. Jordan has historically been buying Russian arms and though recent sanctions on Russia have complicated these supplies, deliveries keep going on.
On Friday, the EU delegation travels to Syria, where Ms von der Leyen and Mr Costa will hold talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. EU officials will later also visit Lebanon.
