King Abdullah II of Jordan met Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Wednesday as the country seeks to deepen ties with the military alliance.

The king was also expected to meet European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later as part of the one-day visit to Belgium.

According to the king’s official website, the visit aims to “cover bilateral ties and means to bolster them”.

The visit comes after Jordan celebrated the centenary of its founding early last month.

Mr Stoltenberg said after the meeting he wanted the 30-country military alliance to forge deeper ties with Jordan.

“Honoured to welcome King Abdullah II back to Nato, and congratulate him on the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s first centenary,” he said.

“Jordan is an anchor of stability, and one of Nato’s closest partners. Today we discussed how to deepen our partnership even further.”

Last month, King Abdullah’s half-brother and former crown prince, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, was accused of an alleged plot to “destabilise the kingdom’s security”.

The prince was placed under house arrest and later pledged his loyalty to the king.

King Abdullah said the ordeal was a painful chapter in the nation’s history.

“The challenge of the last few days was not the hardest or the most dangerous to the stability of our nation, but it was the most painful because those who are party to the sedition were from our own home,” he said in a statement.

“Nothing can come close to the shock and the pain and anger I felt, as a brother, and head of the Hashemite family, and as a leader to this dear people.”