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Russia key to reset of Jordanian-Syrian ties

With fighting appearing to wind down in Syria, talk has begun of normalizing ties between Jordan and Syria, but the matter is not so straightforward for Amman.
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With the Syrian army extending its control over most of southern Syria, including along the border with Jordan, Jordanians are divided over the possibility of normalizing ties between Amman and Damascus after seven years of tensions. There has been no official position taken by the Jordanian government or the Syrian regime on the issue. There are, however, signs that the two countries are considering reopening their border crossing as a step toward restoring full ties.

On July 22, Ammonnews.net, a pro-government Jordanian news site, quoted “informed sources” as noting that the decision to reopen the crossing in both directions at Nasib must be mutually agreed upon and requires coordination between the two countries. A day earlier, the daily Al-Ghad had reported Russian sources as saying that the Amman-Damascus highway was safe for travelers, since fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra had been evacuated from the area.

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