Partnership: What does it really mean?

I was in London last week and had the honour to attend the meeting between His Majesty and David Cameron. They had 45 minutes together. The press reported that they talked about “bilateral ties and regional developments”. I’m glad to say that it was a lot more interesting than that. So what does this rather over-used phrase really mean?

Of course there was no shortage of things to talk about. King Abdullah described the political and economic situation in Jordan, his determination to press for electoral reform and the problems created for Jordan by rising food and energy prices. For his part, David Cameron welcomed King Abdullah’s leadership of the reform agenda and the steps he had taken in supporting the government’s establishment of the National Dialogue Committee and in his creation of a committee to review the constitution. The Prime Minister saw Jordan as a model of a country actively pursuing reform at a time when people in the Middle East are calling for more open and democratic societies. As a result, they agreed on the need for progress in implementing reform. Mr. Cameron offered British support through the UK’s new Arab Partnership Fund.

They also discussed Libya, Syria and the Middle East Peace Process. David Cameron paid tribute to Jordan’s contribution to the humanitarian task of protecting civilians in Libya. They also agreed on the importance of early and credible negotiations towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I was struck by the warmth in the relationships between the British and Jordanian sides and the mutual respect between the leaders. This was not just a relationship based on history but a genuine, close and forward-looking partnership between two modern countries with shared interests who find genuine value in working together. I was also struck by the close agreement and common analysis of what is happening in the Middle East. Indeed, there was a nagging thought that it might be more fun if they could find something to disagree on!