Jordan’s king, Syria’s leader speak by phone for first time in decade
Jordan is emerging as a chief advocate of restoring ties with Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad phoned neighboring Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday, marking the first publicly known conversation between the two leaders since Syria’s brutal civil war began in 2011.
The pair “discussed relations between the two brotherly countries and ways of enhancing cooperation,” according to a statement by Jordan’s royal palace.
Abdullah said his government supports Syria's territorial integrity, stability and sovereignty – a nod to Assad's stance that all of war-torn Syria return to Damascus' control.
Assad has largely been isolated by his neighbors and the wider international community for his government’s extensive war crimes throughout the conflict.
