Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman descends from the plane upon his arrival in Amman, Jordan June 21, 2022. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived on Tuesday in Jordan as ties thaw after years of frayed relations due to divergent views on regional conflicts and unfulfilled pledges of aid, officials said.

The first such visit in years by the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia comes at a time, officials say, when Jordan’s economy is struggling with the economic knock-on effects of the Ukraine war.

“This is an opportunity for a new phase in Jordanian-Saudi ties and to continue a program of economic projects and new investments,” a senior Jordanian official told Reuters.

Business leaders and officials hope it will unblock at least $3 billion of investment projects that Saudi Arabia committed to in recent years but which never materialized.

Saudi Arabia, which once rescued Jordan with cash injections, had held off direct support, and officials said discussions would look at more ways to help Jordan’s economy, which has been battered by rising fuel prices and higher food imports. Jordan imports most of its energy needs.

Ties reached a low during former President Donald Trump’s term in office when staunch US ally Jordan felt that Riyadh’s strong ties with the previous American administration undermined Jordan’s pivotal role in Arab-Israel peace making.

Officials say Jordan’s economic strains have worsened with the end of Gulf grants and little extra funds by Western donors in the last few years to cope with sluggish growth and high unemployment.