Loss of a friend and ally

With the death of King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on Friday, Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Muslim worlds lost a great leader who dedicated his life to the service of his country.

His death constitutes a great loss for Jordan, as the king had worked keenly to cement Jordanian-Saudi ties and stood by Jordan at times of need.

In an expression of grief, the Royal Hashemite Court declared a 40-day period of mourning and the government announced public mourning for three days, during which national flags around the country are to be lowered.

On Friday, Jordanians performed funeral prayers for the late king in mosques around the Kingdom.

His Majesty, who was taking part in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, cut short his trip to be able to offer condolences to the new Saudi king, Salman, and the Saudi people for their grave loss.

His Majesty on Saturday led a high-level Jordanian delegation to Riyadh to convey his and the Jordanian people’s sympathies to the new Saudi leader and to the nation.

All this is due to the very close ties between the two countries at various levels.

Domestically, King Abdullah worked earnestly to serve his people and push forward the pace of modernisation, dedicating his efforts as well to the service of the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina.

At regional and international levels, he was a keen supporter of Arab and Muslim causes, and a force of political and religious moderation.

His death may be the end of an era, but his successor, King Salman, is expected to continue the same pattern of home and international policies.

Jordan has confidence in the ability of the new Saudi king to continue the modernisation drive that his predecessors started and to face the challenges and changes that have been sweeping the region for the past years.

As His Majesty said in a statement issued by the Royal Court in Amman on Friday, King Salman will surely continue to support Jordan, just as he did when he was crown prince and during previous posts.

The Royal Court statement also highlighted the fact that the years-long strategic partnership between Jordan and Saudi Arabia will continue to be an example and a role model for other Arab countries.

With the death of King Abdullah, Jordan lost a dear friend, a supporter and an ally; the only solace is that his successor has been an equally good friend of Jordan and a strong supporter of the Jordanian-Saudi strategic partnership.

The people of Jordan offer their sympathy to their Saudi brethren, and offer their best wishes and backing to the new Saudi ruler.