FMs of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia meet in Amman
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria, Faisal Mekdad, met on Monday Arab officials in the Jordanian capital of Amman to discuss normalizing ties with Damascus.
Mekdad arrived in Amman to meet the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia.
The discussions in Amman “build on the contacts” that the four countries had made with Damascus, Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Sinan Majali said.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that Jordan has called on Syria to engage with Arab states to end the conflict, tackle the issues of refugees, detainees, drug smuggling and Iranian-backed militias in Syria.
In addition, Jordan and Saudi Arabia view the illicit trade as a security threat.
On the same day, Jordanian authorities announced that its armed forces had killed a smuggler on the border with Syria.
The Jordanian border is witnessing regular smuggling attempts, as Jordan’s forces are working to monitor smuggling operations and thwart them.
Drug trade is overwhelming southern Syria, as the price of a kilogram of hashish varies between 50.000-75.000 Syrian Pounds (SYP, equals $7-10), and a captagon pill costs only 500 SYP ($0.068).