On a Monday phone call, Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Jordanian Foreign Minister, spoke with Qatar‘s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. Safadi and bin Jassim agree it is very important to promptly stop escalating military activity and conflict in the area due to the area’s already high pressure of conflict. The ministers also discussed other ways to end this escalation of conflict and to restore and promote security and stability. In addition, they discussed how to keep dialogue and diplomacy at the forefront of managing this crisis, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
The two Arab states issued a joint political message to the world, indicating that both nations stand together in response to the aggression they have both experienced and continue to face from Iran. They also told the world how serious the current state of security is in their respective countries and stated their joint agreement that coordinated actions through diplomacy will promote much more stability than escalating violence through a continuation of military confrontation. The facts that both Amman (Jordan) and Doha (Qatar) have very similar political positions indicate both of their countries have a vested interest in avoiding an escalation of violence and sustaining peace as regional tensions appear to be building and could easily lead to or cause blood to spill across the borders of both countries within a short period of time.
The significance of this short phone call has to do with its timing. During periods of increased tension, ordinary diplomatic contacts take on increased importance since they show there remains an opportunity for regular communications and also demonstrate that there are still entities/actors in the area that wish to pursue reducing the conflict. Besides this, the necessity for creating stability and having constructive discussions among countries serves to support one larger finding regarding conducting diplomacy in the Middle East, which is that there is very little chance of obtaining long-term peace through pure military means but it can be achieved by continuing to conduct diplomatic negotiations, working together politically, and attempting to limit the spread of war before it becomes unmanageable. This statement can be derived from what both of them have said.
The Jordanian-Qatar exchange is an example of how important diplomacy is as an option for both nations in an ever-changing area of the world. The fact that both countries are willing to prioritise their respective national security, frequency of contact, and maintaining a stable environment has enabled both countries, through their diplomatic efforts, to work towards creating a reduced tension in the area rather than raising it. At times of instability in the Middle East, messages such as these sent by Jordan and Qatar provide continued opportunities for negotiations, reduce the potential for mistakes and miscalculations, and keep hope alive for peace.
