U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter made two statements about the rapprochement by Jordan with the Assad regime.
Porter initially welcomed Jordan’s announcement that flights will resume to Damascus, and those border crossings will open entirely between Jordan and Syria. Later, she indicated that the United States was reviewing and considering recent developments.
“When it comes to commercial travel, we certainly welcome this announcement,” Porter told a reporter on Tuesday, in relation to flights resuming between Jordan and Syria.
However, in a subsequent press briefing published by the U.S. State Department on its official website, Porter said: “I have nothing to announce regarding the status of the relationship, or any change in policy (toward the Assad regime). What I can say is that we are certainly reviewing the announcement.”
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Porter called on journalists to adopt her second comment concerning the opening of border crossings and resumption of flights between Jordan and Syria.
On Tuesday, Jordan announced the resumption of civilian flights to Syria, under an agreement with the Assad government, nine years after civil aviation between the two countries was suspended.
On Wednesday morning, Jordanian authorities reopened the Jaber-Nasib border crossing for civilian travel and trade, which was initially revived under a 2018 agreement. Since that year, however, the crossing has been repeatedly closed due to the spread of COVID-19 and the resumption of military operations in southern Syria.
It remains to be seen whether Jordan has received a green light from the United States to conclude economic agreements with the Assad regime, particularly in the fields of water, energy, electricity, agriculture, and trade.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
