AMMAN, Jordan – Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met his counterparts from Jordan and Qatar during a working visit to the Middle East, and they agreed on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
In a meeting between Dr Balakrishnan and Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi in the capital city of Amman on March 16, both ministers also agreed that more channels should be explored to deliver aid to Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine.
On March 17, Dr Balakrishnan and Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad had an audience with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the Royal Palace in Aqaba, and later called on Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh in Amman.
Dr Balakrishnan conveyed to King Abdullah Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s appreciation that Jordan had facilitated the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) ongoing humanitarian aid mission for Gaza, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
He also conveyed Singapore’s continued support for King Abdullah’s leadership role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, including efforts to achieve a two-state solution to resolve the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The King and Dr Balakrishnan reaffirmed the excellent state of Singapore-Jordan relations, “which were built on mutual trust and respect at the highest political levels”, MFA said.
With Dr Khasawneh, Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Zaqy reaffirmed the warm and friendly defence relations between both countries and welcomed continued regular exchanges.
They also discussed the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the need to step up the delivery of aid.
The RSAF on March 15 dispatched two aircraft to Jordan – an A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport and a C-130 Hercules transport plane – along with 69 personnel to deliver Singapore’s third tranche of aid for the Palestinian enclave.
The C-130 will stay on and conduct airdrop operations staged out of Jordan, with support from the Jordanian Armed Forces.
In a Facebook post, Dr Balakrishnan said he and Mr Safadi had spoken two weeks ago about the dire situation in Gaza and how Singapore and Jordan could work together to provide life-saving aid to the 2.3 million people living there.
En route from Singapore to Jordan, Dr Balakrishnan made a stop in Doha on March 15, where he met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani. They exchanged views on regional developments, including the situation in Gaza and its longer-term consequences for the Middle East.
They agreed that an immediate humanitarian ceasefire is vital to allow urgently needed humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory, said Dr Balakrishnan in social media posts.
He noted that Sheikh Mohammed has been personally involved with the mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar, Egypt and the United States had in November 2023 brokered a temporary ceasefire and the release of some hostages, but the truce ended after a week.
Since then, Qatari, Egyptian and American mediators have continued to hold talks with the two sides, but Israel and Hamas failed to reach an agreement before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Ceasefire talks are expected to resume on March 17 in Doha, according to a Reuters report.
The discussions are expected to cover the remaining gaps between Israel and Hamas, including the number of Palestinian prisoners who could potentially be released in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages, as well as humanitarian aid to Gaza, a source told the newswire.
During his meetings, Dr Balakrishnan also spoke to his Jordanian and Qatari counterparts about bilateral issues.
He joined Sheikh Mohammed in Doha for iftar, the evening meal eaten by Muslims to break fast after the sun has set, and reaffirmed the strong bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
In Amman, Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Safadi discussed the successful outcomes of an official visit by Jordan’s Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II to Singapore in January.
Both sides signed six agreements then to work together in the areas of youth development, environmental management, vocational and technical training, civil service training, and halal food certification and standardisation.
On March 16, Dr Balakrishnan said: “We will take our cooperation further in areas including technical training, capacity building and strengthening business links.”
