Indian PM visited Jordan as diplomatic ties hit 75 years

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Amman as part of his tour of Jordan, Oman, and Ethiopia, where he was received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, according to The Times of India on December 15th.

Modi’s visit, which is now concluded, intended to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Jordan. At the request of King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein, Modi held talks to discuss Indian-Jordanian relations and developments in the Middle East.

During his time in Amman, Modi also visited members of Jordan’s Indian community, which numbers 17,000, where he received a warm welcome. India and Jordan have shared a close relationship since the signing of a cooperation agreement in 1947, and the beginning of full diplomatic relations in 1950.

This was further reinforced through high-level engagements, including President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Jordan in 2015, King Abdullah’s visit to India and Modi’s brief stopover in Amman in 2018, as well as Indian National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval’s visit to Jordan in 2020.

Modi’s visit coincides with large scale, even somewhat contradictory, developments. Modi has not shied away from his engagement with Israel, even as its military has been accused of repeatedly violating the fragile October ceasefire agreement. Only a short time before arriving in Amman, Modi had shared a “warm and friendly” telephone call with Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jordan’s relationship with Israel has become strained, with King Abdullah condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza. Although India has historically demonstrated sympathy to the situation of the Palestinians and contributed humanitarian aid as part the reconstruction of Gaza, it has sought a more pragmatic route. Modi has been active to ensure a balancing of relations with Israel and the Gulf States, suiting India’s own strategic interests as part of its Middle East policy.

The Times of India, Maghrebi.org