fbpx

Blogs

Prince William reminds the West of its vital role in the Middle East

[ssba]

If you had asked Prince William at the beginning of the year where he’d be watching England at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, the residence of the Crown Prince of Jordan would probably not have been the first 10 places, or even 50, that came to mind. Yet, on Sunday evening, the Duke of Cambridge sat down with Crown Prince Hussein to watch England dismantle Panama in their highest ever result at a major final.

While much of the media on the Prince’s visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has focused on the visit to Israel, given that the Duke of Cambridge will be the first senior member of the Royal Family to officially visit the state since it was established in 1948, the Prince’s visit to Jordan is just as important to the Hashemite family as it is to Israelis next door.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the King, who recently witnessed the largest demonstrations in his country for over three decades that forced him to sack the Prime Minister. The Duke of Cambridge’s arrival was an important opportunity for the Royal family to show its increasingly restless population of the international community’s support for the monarchy.

But the Prince’s visit was also an opportunity to show a glimpse into future relations between Jordan and the UK through personal ties between the two future Kings. And the future does indeed look bright for UK-Jordan relations. For the second time in 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May visited Jordan in November and told the country that “Britain will be a partner you can depend on”. That alliance stretches back to the 17th century when Britain signed trade treaties with the leading noble families from the area to today in the alliance to defeating ISIS.

Since Jordan’s independence from British rule in 1946, both countries have coordinated and consulted over issues of mutual concern and urgent developments in the Middle East, in a way that contributes to achieving a lasting peace and stability. UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s speech on 30 November outlined her vision for the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with Jordan, focusing on security and counterterrorism cooperation, UK-Jordan trade and investment opportunities and strengthen long-term support for economic and social reform in Jordan and its immediate neighbours.

Almost two years on from the Jordan Compact, signed in London in 2016, the Government continues to face the challenge of integrating the rising number of refugees fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries into its labour market. The Jordan Compact, which secured $1.7 bn from the international community, includes a contribution by the Department for International Development (DFID) of £70m for 2017/8 and a further £82m planned for 2018/9. This money is helping 205,000 Syrian children gain a decent education, 220,000 people receive sustainable access to clean water and sanitation and up to 1,000 under 5s, women and adolescents reach healthy nutrition values.

On the economic front, Jordan is struggling to cope with the strain of hosting around 650,000 registered UN refugees. The UK has played a leading role in supporting the Jordanian Government to provide work permits for around 130,000 Syrian refugees and help Jordan to increase private sector-led growth, job creation and trade via DFID’s Jordan Compact Economic Opportunities Programme. More: PM May announced a new UK contribution of £94.5m towards strengthening Jordan’s economic resilience and supporting government reforms – including £60m in investment grants to support private sector growth, critical infrastructure projects, essential skills training, the quality of education and to create new jobs for young people.

The UK has also played a vital role in ensuring that Jordan didn’t fall into the hands of ISIS in the summer of 2014. The Jordanian military, and especially its Quick Reaction Force (QRF), is regarded as one of the best in the region, trained and partly financed by the British. Prince William’s visit to the QRF base on Monday morning revealed the value Jordan places on British support in this area. The QRF has been on the frontline defending Jordan against ISIS and receives direct UK financial support. In 2015, the UK Government provided it with a £2.5m package of non- lethal equipment including transport vehicles, body armour, communications and IT equipment.

Jordan has also received £32m in 2017 and £28m in 2017 from the UK Conflict Security and Stabilisation Fund to help its security. A report by the House of Commons Defence Committee on the UK’s military operations in Syria and Iraq for 2016-7 described the training provided by UK Short-Term Training Teams (STTTs) for the QRF as a “credible investment” and “morale-boosting” for both the UK and Jordanian side.

The Duke of Cambridge’s visit to Jordan was a reminder to the country that as the UK prepares to leave the EU and works to strengthen its trade and investment partnerships with new partners, it will not forget its long-standing relationship with the Hashemite Monarchy and the unique role that history has provided it in encouraging the continuity of a secure and prosperous Jordan for regional peace and stability. In a region where the word ‘relationship’ has lost some of its value over the last 18 months, the young Prince has provided new and fresh impetus to the importance that the West can and must play in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.