Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): In Manama, a meeting of the Bahraini-Jordanian Joint Security Committee took place, and on the sidelines of this gathering, Interior Minister Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa held discussions with Major General Obaidullah Al-Maaytah, the Director of Jordanian Public Security.

According to the Bahrain News Agency, the minister and the Jordanian general explored avenues for security cooperation and coordination, with a focus on enhancing mechanisms for collaborative efforts to address security challenges.

Jordan's wealth of security expertise and forces has long been a go-to resource for Bahrain's Ministry of Interior, armed forces, and intelligence services. A permanent Jordanian military liaison officer is stationed in Bahrain. In 2019, Brigadier General Hassan Mohammed Abdul Rahim Annab was appointed as a military liaison officer in Bahrain.

Despite challenging economic conditions in Bahrain, the authorities have consistently accorded priority to fulfilling Jordan's economic and operational requirements, sometimes at the expense of Bahraini citizens. For instance, in January 2023, Bahrain participated in a summit hosted by the Abu Dhabi government to support Egypt and Jordan, an event Saudi Arabia did not attend.

Following the Abu Dhabi summit, various initiatives were undertaken to assist Jordan. In January 2023, Jordan's Prime Minister, accompanied by a high-level government delegation, visited Bahrain. During this visit, agreements were inked across various domains, including knowledge exchange in employment-related matters. This marked the commencement of a hiring spree, with numerous Jordanian professionals securing prestigious positions in banks, ministries, and various esteemed institutions. Additionally, significant numbers of nurses and doctors were recruited from Jordan to work at Bahrain's Al-Salmaniya Hospital, King Hamad Hospital in Muharraq, and the Military Hospital in Riffa.

In February, representatives from Jordan, the UAE, Egypt, and Bahrain inked 12 agreements spanning agriculture, pharmaceuticals, metals, chemicals, and electric vehicles, amounting to over $2 billion in investment. These agreements were projected to create nearly 13,000 jobs across the four nations.

With Jordan grappling with an unemployment rate of 22%, Bahrain's youth are significantly affected, experiencing unemployment rates as high as 17,000 individuals. Jordanian youths are presented with numerous opportunities in Bahrain, some even with the prospect of naturalization, while their Bahraini counterparts face a more challenging employment landscape.

Jordan's ambassador, Rami Al-Adwan, conveyed in an interview with Al-Bilad newspaper last May that the Jordanian community in Bahrain might be the largest Arab community in the country, expressing a strong sense of belonging.

In 2014, Bahrain Mirror published critical documents revealing the presence of approximately 499 mercenaries from the Jordanian gendarmerie who were deployed to suppress the 2011 Bahrain uprising. These mercenaries received an average salary of 1,200 Bahraini dinars each, amounting to a total financial allocation of 700,000 Bahraini dinars per month ($1.8 million).

Arabic Version