Jordan’s King Abdullah met Russian President Vladimir Putin near Moscow on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria and the impact of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Jordanian monarch is the first Arab leader to meet Mr Putin since the Taliban overran Kabul last week, solidifying their control over most of the country.
The chaotic US withdrawal, which is in its final stages, is raising concerns in the Middle East over American reliability.
Mr Putin said "the normalisation of the situation in Syria and the current escalation in Afghanistan" were "the most pressing maters" on the agenda.
The Russian leader showed King Abdullah some of the military hardware exhibited at Patriot Park in Kubnika, 60 kilometres south-west of Moscow.
Mr Putin said the weaponry was "important in terms of strengthening stability".
The US supplies most of the Jordanian military and the kingdom is a major recipient of US aid.
Russia, however, is a major wheat exporter to Jordan and Mr Putin touted the work of a Jordanian-Russian committee headed on the Russian side by Minister of Agriculture Dmitry Patrushev.
The king has sought to improve security and economic ties with Moscow in recent years, and partly accommodated Russia on Syria.
Last month, the king told CNN the world should be “sympathetic” to the US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan but that such a decision could lead to a resurgence in terrorism in the country in a few years.
Pro-Iranian militant groups in the Middle East, particularly Hezbollah, have publicly celebrated the US withdrawal. They say it demonstrates the futility of having the US as an ally.
King Abdullah has met Mr Putin more than a dozen times since he became monarch in 1999.
Security contacts between Jordan and Russia increased after Moscow’s military intervention in Syria in 2015.
Russian firepower propped up the Assad regime, allowing it and Iranian-backed militias to capture most territory held by opposition forces.
Moscow sent troops to Syria’s southern border with Jordan, where Jordanian officials say Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militias are active.
The Kremlin has made it clear it wants Jordan and other Arab countries to normalise relations with the regime of Bashar Al Assad and re-admit Syria to the Arab League. It also wants Arab and western countries to pay for reconstruction in the country.
The Arab League suspended relations with Damascus in November 2011, soon after the regime cracked down on the uprising against five decades of Assad family rule.
King Abdullah has sought to balance Russian requests with Jordan’s ties with the US.
Last month the king said that the Syrian regime has shown “longevity” but that any reconstruction in Syria would need to be tied to political reform.
In the past few weeks, official Jordanian media have touted the potential benefits of improving transport links and trade with areas of Syria controlled by the Assad regime.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have fled to Jordan in the past decade. Only Lebanon and Turkey have more Syrian refugees.
Unlike Lebanon, Jordan has not put pressure on them to return, saying instead that their safety must come first.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
The%20Roundup
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
How%20champions%20are%20made
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
