The foreign ministers of Jordan and Iran agreed in a phone call on Thursday to soon hold a meeting to discuss ways to improve their bilateral relations, the Jordanian foreign ministry said, according to the Xinhua news agency.
During the phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign minister Ayman Safadi stressed the need to continue a practical and transparent bilateral dialogue to address lingering issues between the two countries, including the situation at the Jordan-Syria border and drug smuggling to Jordan.
Safadi said that Jordan seeks to have good relations with Iran based on the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and cooperation that benefits the two sides as well as the region, the statement added.
Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, said Iran looks forward to developing good relations with Jordan, whose regional role is highly valued.
The conversation follows the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties.
Under the agreement, which Jordan welcomed, the two countries are to reopen their embassies and missions within two months and implement security and economic cooperation deals signed more than 20 years ago.
Jordan also has a peace deal with Israel, which was signed in 1994. Its parliament, which is made up mostly of Islamists, remains anti-Israel and its members have more than once called to annul the peace treaty.
The Jordanian parliament has in the past approved a proposal to establish a committee to re-evaluate all formal ties with Israel, including the peace agreement. That decision does not necessarily mean that the peace accords with Israel will be annulled, as such a decision requires the approval of the government, the royal palace and the council advising Jordan's King Abdullah II.