Poland sees Jordan as major ally for NATO — official

AMMAN — Jordan is a major NATO ally with a significant role in undermining terrorism and sustaining stability in the region, said Paweł Soloch, head of the Polish National Security Bureau.

In an interview with The Jordan Times on Wednesday, during his visit to Jordan, Soloch said Poland, which will host the NATO summit this summer, is keen on strengthening Jordan’s cooperation with the organisation. 

Meanwhile, he cited “intensified” coordination between the Kingdom and Poland over the past few months, particularly in security and military cooperation.

The official said this cooperation has gained growing importance in light of regional crises — mainly the civil war in Syria — in addition to the influx of refugees, noting that bilateral cooperation is not exclusive to the military aspect.

Soloch reiterated the need to eliminate the reasons forcing people to flee their countries in order to start rebuilding them, such as in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

The second element, according to the official, is enhancing international solidarity to share the burden of countries hosting refugees. He noted that his country has committed to accepting some 7,000 Syrians from the migration waves to Europe that started last summer.

“But since Poland is not the richest state of the EU, we must admit that it is not the main target country for immigrants,” he said, noting that the majority of immigrants who entered Poland left for Germany, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries.  

On behalf of Polish President Andrzej Duda, Soloch on Tuesday presented the first class of the Polish Order of Merit to HRH Prince Hassan, for his efforts in supporting and enhancing dialogue among cultures and followers of different religions, as well as enhancing bilateral relations.

“Regional cooperation is crucial,” the official said, adding that Prince Hassan expressed a desire to see a kind of regional cooperation that includes Jordan and is similar to that among the European Visegrad Group, which includes Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

Soloch said the delegation on this visit does not only include members of the security bureau, but also representatives of military and security-concerned institutions, in addition to others that deal with refugees. 

The aim is also to enhance cooperation between Jordan and Poland in economic and cultural exchange.

He noted that Warsaw faces a similar burden to Jordan’s in hosting refugees, citing some 400,000 refugees from Ukraine and the eastern front.