Saudi Crown Prince calls Jordan's King Abdullah after surgery

Prince Mohammed bin Salman wishes king good health

King Abdullah and Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the royal palace in Amman in 2015. AFP
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman telephoned King Abdullah of Jordan on Tuesday to wish him good health after surgery on his back in Germany, official media said.

Official Jordanian television said Prince Mohammed "congratulated his majesty on the success of the surgery he had lately, expressing his wishes to his majesty for plentiful health".

The two men last met in March, when King Abdullah visited Prince Mohammed in Riyadh to check on him after appendicitis surgery.

Saudi Arabia is a major investor in Jordan and the two countries are close US allies.

But Amman and Riyadh have had differences in recent years over how to deal with the Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad and other regional issues, as Jordan became a transit centre for Captagon smuggled from Syria to Arabia.

A royal rift in Jordan also affected relations between Amman and Riyadh.

The authorities accused former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who was also an adviser to Saudi King Salman, of encouraging Prince Hamzah Bin Hussein, a younger brother of the king, to undermine stability in Jordan.

A Jordanian court sentenced Awadallah to 15 years in prison for sedition.

Updated: April 19, 2022, 3:28 PM