New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 15 called for a return of peace and stability in West Asia while praising Jordan’s “active and positive” role in Gaza, as Amman said the two leaders discussed stepping up the humanitarian response and ensuring implementation of the agreement to end the war on the Strip.Modi held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman on Monday at the start of his three-nation foreign tour. This is Modi’s first full bilateral visit to Jordan and the first by an Indian prime minister in 37 years. Modi had transited through Amman in February 2018 en route Palestine, when Abdullah received him at his private palace. Abdullah made a state visit to India the same year.In his opening remarks, the prime minister noted Jordan’s engagement with the situation in Gaza. “On Gaza, from the beginning, your role has been very active and positive. It is the hope of all of us that peace and stability return to this region,” Modi said.Discussions also covered regional developments and efforts to restore stability in the region, as well as the need to respect the sovereignty of states, according to a statement from the Royal Hashemite Court. The Jordanian statement added that the leaders addressed the need to step up the humanitarian response in Gaza and “ensure implementation of the agreement to end the war on the Strip”.A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by the Trump administration, went into effect on October 10, halting over two years of war. However, Hamas has accused Israel of hundreds of violations since then, while the far more complicated second phase – addressing disarmament, post-war governance, and reconstruction – remains stalled.Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, has played a prominent humanitarian role during the conflict, with Abdullah personally flying aid missions over Gaza. However, the kingdom faces deep dilemmas given that over half its population is of Palestinian origin. Jordan flatly rejected president Trump’s February 2025 proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza. The king has also ruled out sending Jordanian troops into Gaza as part of any international force, though Jordan is willing to train Palestinian police.Modi underlined Jordan’s stance against terrorism, extremism and radicalisation, saying the country had given a “strong and strategic message to all of humanity” under Abdullah’s leadership. “Against terrorism, our shared and clear stance exists,” he said.He recalled his first meeting with Abdullah in 2015 at a UN event on countering violent extremism, and their participation in a 2018 conference on Islamic heritage in India. “To promote moderation, your efforts are extremely important not just regionally but for global peace as well,” Modi said.The leaders spoke by phone in April 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack, with Abdullah among the first world leaders to call Modi.Modi proposed that the two countries aim to enhance bilateral trade to $5 billion over the next five years, the MEA statement said, noting that India was Jordan’s third largest trading partner. Bilateral trade stood at $2.8 billion in 2023-24, with Jordan being a major supplier of fertilizer to India.Modi also called for collaboration between Jordan’s digital payment system and India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI).The two sides finalised MoUs in culture, renewable energy, water management, digital public infrastructure and a twinning arrangement between Petra and Ellora.