Jordan and Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday that they support international efforts aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The two countries expressed support for Arab efforts to urge Iran to stop meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries and avoid all “destabilizing activities.”
In addition, Saudi Arabia expressed support for Jordan’s role as custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Unconfirmed reports over the past few years claimed that Saudi Arabia was seeking to replace Jordan as custodian.
The announcement was included in a joint communique issued at the end of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Jordan, where he held talks with King Abdullah and his son, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah.
“The two sides stressed the importance of redoubling efforts to confront extremism and work to combat terrorism in all its forms, confront its ideological roots, dry up its sources, stop all means of financing it, and spread the values of religious, cultural and moderation,” the statement read.
Saudi Arabia and Jordan condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen against Saudi Arabia, and that Jordan supports the Saudis in all the steps they take to protect their security, stability and interests.
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
According to the statement, the two countries stressed the need to launch a serious and effective international effort to find a real political horizon for resolving the Palestinian issue “on the basis of the two-state solution, which embodies the independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967, lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.”
The two Arab countries affirmed that the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, “which constitutes an Arab strategic option and a necessity to achieve regional and international security and stability. They stressed the need for Israel to stop all illegal measures that undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving a just peace.”
Saudi Arabia and Jordan emphasized the need for Israel “to respect the historical and legal situation in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and to respect the role of the Jordan-controlled Wakf Department as the only authority authorized to manage the affairs of al-Aqsa Mosque/al-Haram al-Sharif.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of the role of the historical Hashemite guardianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem in protecting the holy sites and preserving its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity.”
The Saudi crown prince and the Jordanian monarch also discussed economic, trade and investment relations and ways to enhance them.
The two sides stressed the importance of enhancing joint cooperation in the field of investments and diversifying them, including investment areas for the sectors of mining, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, culture, healthcare, and information technology, and creating more job opportunities, which contribute to boosting economic growth in the two countries.