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This is the first official visit by an Egyptian leader to Iraq since the First Gulf War.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and Jordanian King Abdullah II have met in Baghdad on Egypt’s first visit to Iraq since Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.
The first Gulf War broke off diplomatic relations between Iraq and Egypt, but they have improved in recent years as senior officials from both countries exchange visits.
The summit is part of a tripartite cooperation mechanism between the three countries, the first round of which took place in March 2019 in Cairo.
On Sunday, the three leaders discussed several areas of regional interest, including the latest development on the Palestinian issue, the fight against terrorism and economic cooperation, in a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
“Leaders stressed the need to increase consultation and coordination between the three countries on key regional issues,” he added.
The meetings are seen in part as an attempt to neutralize the impact on the entire Iranian region. Al-Kadhimi also aims to strengthen regional alliances and strengthen Iraq’s position as a mediator in the Middle East.
He recently took on Iranian and Saudi authorities in Baghdad in April, holding their first summit since 2016 when Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.
“This visit is an important message for our people because we are in solidarity and together to serve our people and the people of the region,” al-Kadhimi said in a statement to his office.
Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud AbdelWahed’s report from Baghdad said the summit had not only economic but also political significance.
“From Egypt and Jordan there seems to be some intention to bring Iraq back into an Arab coalition … and also to use Iraq’s fortune to build or create some mutual trade and investment and development projects,” he said.
Discuss broad topics
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a press conference after the meeting that a number of issues were discussed, including economic and political cooperation, large-scale industrial projects and the trade in medicine and agricultural pesticides.
The U.S.-welcomed talks also addressed regional issues such as the Syrian crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Yemeni war.
“Iraq needs to be isolated from regional interventions,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters at the meeting, apparently about the impact Iran has had on the country.
Iraqi President Barham Salih meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi [Khalid al-Mousily/Reuters]
The project of a major dam in the Ethiopian Renaissance, fearing that Egypt would endanger its water supply, was also discussed, adding that the three countries needed a political solution to end the Syrian crisis and the return of refugees.
“The message from the leaders is to be together in the face of these challenges,” he said.
Iraq has already signed major economic and trade agreements with Jordan and Egypt.
In November, Egypt signed 15 memoranda of understanding covering the oil-to-construction and trade sectors. Jordan imported 10,000 barrels a day from Iraq, but that was halted by coronavirus restrictions.
Iraq also plans to build a pipeline that plans to export one million barrels on a crude day in Iraq from the southern city of Basra to Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
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