Baghdad Government and political preparations are escalating for the launch of the activities of the Baghdad Conference of Neighboring Countries scheduled for next Saturday, with the participation of heads of state and government and high-ranking regional and international figures, in a strategic step during which Iraq seeks to achieve an international and regional rapprochement that paves the way for the reflection of its results over the region and its regional surroundings, and restoring Baghdad’s role in achieving a positive atmosphere between conflicting countries with great differences between them.
The government palace in the center of the capital will host the Baghdad Conference of Neighboring Countries, whose official name has become the “Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership”, in the presence of heads and representatives from Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt and French President Emmanuel Macron, Where the summit will discuss the files of the common region and seeks to bring the views closer and resolve the crisis of conflicts between the regional countries, and the Syrian crisis will not be far from the agenda of the summit meeting.
Political circles are counting on the presence of France, coordinating the summit with Baghdad, to contribute to increasing the momentum of regional openness to Europe and expanding the frameworks of joint cooperation for the countries of the region. While other circles expect the conference to pave the way for opening a new page of the relationship between Iran and the United States, at a summit that brings together surrounding Arab and foreign countries, it represents a great incentive to host the opponents at a round table and gather the opposing sides, in order to achieve effective stability in the region, whose events Iraq is greatly affected by.
With the government’s welcome and political optimism confirmed by the three presidencies of Iraq’s ability to play a pivotal and basic role in the regional and international files, parliamentary and political circles see that Iraq has become a key player in the region and the need to invest the momentum of the international and regional presence to resolve joint files with neighboring countries for the interest of Iraq first, especially security, water and economy filles.
The political and societal circles unanimously agree on the importance of joint cooperation with the countries of the region in the issues of security, combating terrorism and the economy, but they are divided over the repercussions of the results of this summit meeting at the local level, as some parties stress the need for close security and intelligence cooperation with neighboring countries and the region to deter terrorism and reject terrorism, violence and extremism, while other parties talk about economic and investment necessities in the areas of services, reconstruction and providing job opportunities in the face of the financial and economic crisis that Iraq is witnessing in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and the registration of new infections of the new waves.
With the adoption of those different visions that await the launch of the summit meeting in Baghdad next Saturday, government agencies continue their peak technical and logistical preparations in an effort to restore Baghdad’s role through this summit, and to achieve a positive atmosphere between conflicting countries, including major differences.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi sent official invitations to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, delivered by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Al-Kadhimi also extended an invitation to the Emir of Kuwait, Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, transmitted by the Minister of Planning, before he officially visited it at the head of a high-ranking government delegation last week, and another invitation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, transmitted by Defense Minister Jumaa Inad.
Also, Al-Kadhimi extended an invitation to Jordanian King Abdullah II and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, delivered by Finance Minister Ali Allawi, and a similar invitation to the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad, transmitted by National Security Adviser Qassem Al-Araji.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency