2 yıl önce

Jordan hosts Iraq security summit of Middle East, European leaders

'Baghdad II' meeting, which includes high-level officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran, tackles Iraq's most pressing concerns including its security and the economy.

AFP

The summit, held at Sweimeh on the shores of the Dead Sea, was aimed at providing "support for the stability, security and prosperity of Iraq", the French presidency said in a statement, adding it hoped this would benefit "the entire region".

Leaders from the Middle East and Europe gathered in Jordan in a conference focused on bolstering security and stability in Iraq.

Tuesday's "Baghdad II" meeting included high-level officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran, along with leaders from Türkiye, France, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and the European Union.

The countries said the goal was to show “support for Iraq, its sovereignty, security, and stability, as well as its political process, its economic and development progress, and its efforts to rebuild.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II said in his opening remarks that the meeting “takes place at a time when the region is facing security and political crises,” along with threats to food, water, health and energy security and the impacts of climate crisis.

Ahmed Aboul Gheit, chief of the Arab League, called for Baghdad to be left out of regional rivalries, saying that “Iraq should not be an arena for conflict or settling scores.”

Iraq's stability and security have been shaken for decades by internal and external conflicts.

Daesh terror group claims responsibility for the attack in Iraq that killed at least nine police officers near Kirkuk city pic.twitter.com/jyrByKlg5y
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) December 19, 2022

The 2003 US-led invasion led to years of intense violence and sectarian strife, including the creation of Daesh and the empowerment of Iran-backed political factions and militias.

More recently, the country has been paralysed by political gridlock, with the main dividing line running between Iran’s allies and opponents.

Recently, Baghdad has attempted to assume the role of mediator between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

But a series of talks between the two in Iraq have come to a halt, with Tehran reportedly accusing the kingdom of inciting protests in Iran.

A 'main victim' of regional destabilisation

Tuesday's gathering was held as a follow-up to the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership convened in Iraq last year with France co-organising.

Jordan itself has been facing domestic issues in recent days, after truck drivers launched a strike to protest high fuel prices and a police officer was killed in clashes with protesters last week.

Subsequently, a shootout that erupted in the country’s south during an arrest raid related to the slaying left three officers and the suspect dead.

Saudi Arabia, Iran comments

There were no direct meetings scheduled between Iranian and Saudi officials during the conference, but the foreign minister of both countries spoke separately in the opening session.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran’s "policy is to avoid war and work to restore security and stability” and that the country is “ready to develop relations with all the countries of the region, including the friendly countries on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf.”

He also asserted Iran’s willingness to return to an international agreement on its nuclear programme "provided that red lines are not crossed," adding that other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal should be "realistic".

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said that the kingdom “affirms its total rejection of any aggression on the territory of Iraq,” an apparent swipe at Iran, which has recently launched airstrikes against Kurdish dissident groups in northern Iraq.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies