OTTAWA – The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Tom Lawson, completed a two-day trip to Jordan this week where he met with His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein, Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The purpose of this visit was to build on Canada’s existing defence relationships with Jordan, and to meet with representatives of Allied nations working in the region.
"We have come a long way in developing our defence relationship with Jordan,” said General Lawson. “This visit was an excellent opportunity for me to meet with key national and military Jordanian leaders, to build upon the foundations we have established, and to gain a better appreciation of the geopolitical complexities of the region.”
During his visit to Jordan, General Lawson met with the Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Ibn Al-Hussein, toured several military sites, participated in a number of briefings, and attended the ANZAC Day commemorative service hosted by the Embassy of Australia.
In the spring of 2012, Canada and Jordan signed a defence cooperation Memorandum of Understandingwhich outlined the arrangements needed for the framework and organization that will assist in developing defence and strategic cooperation between our two countries. The Memorandum of Understandinggenerally covered defence-related matters in the fields of research and development, technology security, the sharing of operational lessons learned, combined military training, education, and the conduct of joint military exercises.
Throughout the last decade, Jordan has consistently demonstrated a leadership role in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East. Its constructive approach and progressive policies extend to areas of shared interest with Canada such as trade, peacekeeping operations and the denunciation of all forms of terrorism.
-30-