King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives in Australia for first time in decade

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 05:32 · Archive

King Abdullah II of Jordan has arrived in Canberra for his first visit to Australia in ten years, ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

King Abdullah II of Jordan arrived in Canberra late on Monday night for his first visit to Australia in ten years. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the timing reflected the importance of the relationship. 'In a time of increasing uncertainty around the world, ongoing defence and security cooperation between Australia and Jordan is essential, as regional security partners,' Albanese said. On Tuesday, King Abdullah met House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick.

Australia has provided Jordan with $130 million in humanitarian funding since 2017, partly to help the country cope with the Syrian Civil War, which has made Jordan a haven for hundreds of thousands of refugees. Despite its location near multiple conflict zones—Israel and Palestine to its west, Syria to the north and Iraq to the east—Jordan has remained one of the Middle East's most stable and peaceful countries. Trade between Australia and Jordan is worth about half a billion dollars annually, mostly in agricultural products.

In September, King Abdullah criticised Israeli human rights violations in Gaza at the UN General Assembly in New York, calling on world leaders to uphold the rule of law. The Human Rights Foundation classifies Jordan as fully authoritarian, citing a security apparatus that has intensified since the 2011 Arab Spring protests.

How it is being reported

• King lands in Australia for first time in a decadeThe head of the Muslim world's oldest royal dynasty has touched down in Canberra with a packed itinerary, ahead of a meeting with the prime minister.Perth Now · 13 Oct, 05:02
• King lands in Australia for first time in a decadeThe head of the Muslim world's oldest royal dynasty has touched down in Canberra with a packed itinerary, ahead of a meeting with the prime minister.The West Australian · 13 Oct, 05:02

In this story: King Abdullah II · Anthony Albanese · Jordan · Australia · Syria · Israel · Palestine · Iraq

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem