Leaders from the Middle East and beyond pledged on Tuesday to support Iraq's "stability" and urged Baghdad to distance itself from foreign influence at a summit aimed at assisting in the resolution of regional crises.
Iraq has been gotten between its two primary partners, Iran and the US, for quite a while. Baghdad has only recently reached a fragile compromise government after a year of political impasse.
The "Baghdad II" meeting in Jordan also included representatives from France and the European Union after a summit that was held in Iraq's capital in August 2021 on the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron.
"Cooperate with Iraq to support its stability, sovereignty, and the democratic process in the country", was the concluding statement. Participants at the summit stated that they would continue doing so.
"Iraq's efforts to establish dialogue as a means of resolving regional crises" was another promise they made.
Mohammed Shia A-L S U D-A N-I, Iraq's new prime minister who was appointed in October after more than a year of political impasse and is thought to be closer to Iran than his predecessor, faced a test at the conference.
S U D-A N-I made the promise of "balanced relations with all regional and international partners"
Pivotal Role
Since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein as dictator, Iraq has been in turmoil for nearly two decades. In 2014, the militant Islamic State group declared a "caliphate" and seized roughly one third of Iraq before being defeated more than three years later.
Supportive of Iran, the parties presently rule Iraq's parliament, and in October they named S U D-A N-I as state head following an extended tussle with their Shiite rivals.
Macron addressed the summit in S W-E-I M-E H, a Dead Sea resort in Jordan, saying, "Iraq is the scene of influences, incursions, and destabilization that are linked to the entire region". Macron added, "There is a way that is not... imperialism, a form of hegemony, or a model that would be dictated from outside".
While Egyptian President Abdel Fattah A-L S-I emphasized his nation's "rejection of all foreign interventions in Iraq", Jordanian host King Abdullah II emphasized "Iraq’s pivotal role" in maintaining "stability" in the region.
Riyadh would stand "by Iraq's side to preserve its stability and sovereignty", according to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin F-A R H-A N, whose nation is Iran's primary regional rival
No one expects miracles’
Iran backs the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the H U T H-I rebels in Yemen. The Institute for the Near East and Gulf Military Analysis's director, R-A-I D Kahwaji, stated that the summit had great ambitions, but "no one expects miracles". The gathering was likewise being attended by the EU's top ambassador, Josep Borrell, who has been intervening in discussions aimed at resuscitating the 2015 Iran atomic arrangement.
B O R-E L had talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein A M-I R A-B D U L-A H-I A-N, which the EU diplomat called "necessary... in light of the deteriorating relations between Iran and the EU". Catherine C O L O N-A, the French foreign minister, stated that she also met Amir Abdollahian when she mentioned the delivery of drones to Russia in reference to the country's war in Ukraine.
Iran's Amir Abdollahian declared prior to the summit that Tehran was "ready to return to normal relations" with Riyadh "whenever the Saudi side is ready". He "condemned the Western approach consisting of supporting rioters and imposing illegal sanctions" on Tuesday
You must be logged in to post a comment.