Amman Center to boost cooperation with partners across Middle East

 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcoming King Abdullah of Jordan (NATO)

BRUSSELS: A planned NATO office in the Jordanian capital Amman will strengthen the partnership between the 31-member transatlantic alliance and its partners in the region, a senior NATO official has said.

NATO has built partnerships with countries in the Middle East through the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and with countries in the Gulf through the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI).

The alliance opened a NATO-ICI Regional Center in Kuwait in January 2017 and its activities are open to all member countries of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.

No date has been set for the opening of the Amman center that is expected to serve as a strong link between the alliance and the region, but Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina expressed hope a decision will be taken “soon.”

Speaking to Jordanian media, he highlighted the significance of having people on the ground in Jordan who can follow the various decisions taken by the Allies at summits and ministerial meetings.

Jordan joined the Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995. It became an Enhanced Opportunities Partner (EOP) shortly after the 2014 Wales Summit, when NATO’s Defense and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative was launched.

In May 2023, the coastal Jordanian city of Aqaba hosted a three-day workshop to help identify Jordanian maritime and counter-terrorism requirements and ways for NATO to improve the efficiency and sustainability of Jordan’s counter-terrorism capacity.

On November 6, King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan visited NATO where he held talks with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the Alliance’s partnership with Amman and regional security challenges.

King Abdullah participated in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, addressing security challenges facing the Middle East and North Africa, including the conflict in Gaza.