In his first major NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, new Secretary General Mark Rutte set an agenda for deeper engagement in the Middle East and Africa. Tuesday’s meeting marks the first time King Abdullah II of Jordan will join the meetings of ministers, with Rutte telling press the region’s strategic importance is climbing.“Jordan is one of NATO’s most important partners in the Middle East,” Rutte declared, heralding an imminent opening of a NATO Liaison Office in Amman. This step, he said, will “make our deep relationships in the region even stronger.”For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But Rutte made one thing explicit – NATO’s expanded engagement in what he termed the “southern neighborhood” will not come with an extension of Article 5, the collective defense clause that underpins the alliance’s transatlantic security framework. “NATO is the transatlantic and European defense community,” Rutte stated, drawing a line between cooperation