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Distancing from Pyongyang

Feb 03,2018 - Last updated at Feb 03,2018

Jordan's seemingly abrupt decision to break diplomatic relations with North Korea caught many by surprise because few ever thought that the two countries have diplomatic relations in the first place! There is hardly any relation between the two countries to begin with and literally next to none in terms of trade and commerce.

Politically, the two countries are kilometres apart and hardly on the same wavelength, much less enjoy the best of relations. Yet, the rumour mill started turning immediately after the recent announcement that Jordan broke diplomatic relations with North Korea with some cynic observers attributing this sudden move by Amman as a signal to US President Donald Trump that Jordan, after all, is on his side on matters of war and peace.

On a closer look, Jordan is in the process of rationalising its expenditure across the board and it makes sense that the country cuts down on its huge embassy bills by closing those that are either redundant or not cost-effective. This explanation makes more sense than other speculations circulating among Jordanians and non-Jordanians. Besides, the Jordanian ambassador accredited to Beijing was covering the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, to save on operational costs. Meanwhile, the North Korean ambassador to Jordan is also stationed in Damascus and covers Amman from outside Jordan.

On points of substance, Jordan had distanced itself from the position of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un right from the start of the crisis with the US. As for suggesting that Jordan seeks warmer relations with President Trump's administration, there is really nothing wrong with that, as relations between Jordan and the US are strategic and long-standing that they withstood the test of time over and over again.

Now that Jordan seeks to trim down on the costs of its diplomatic missions, the government must likewise reduce diplomatic staff and close embassies which are not cost-effective.

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