President Obama on Friday commended Jordan’s compassion toward Syria, which includes hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from the war-torn country.
“Jordan has played a leading role in trying to begin a political transition toward a new government,” Obama said at a joint press conference with King Abdullah II. “While working together to strengthen a credible, Syrian opposition. We share Jordan’s concerns about violence spilling across the border. So I want to take this opportunity to make it clear the United States is committed to the security of Jordan. Which is backed by our strong alliance. As has been mentioned during this crisis, the Jordanian people have displayed extraordinary generosity, but the strains of so many refugees inevitably is showing.”
Abdullah said that Syrian refugees make up about 10 percent of Jordan’s population — a figure that he said could double within a year.
