ShareSWEIMEH, Jordan: Kuwait on Tuesday said the stability of neighboring Iraq is among the international community's perennial concerns, underlining the region's cognizance of the need to protect security in Baghdad. The entire region will be affected in the event of any form of unrest breaking out in any country, HH the Amir's representative and Prime Minister HH Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah told the French-sponsored Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan, which brought together a number of leaders from around the region.
The international community and Gulf Arab states in particular are well aware of the "significant position" Iraq holds on the global stage, the Kuwaiti premier emphasized, saying Baghdad deserves to once again play an "active role" in world affairs. With that in mind, he said Kuwait has always stood by the side of its larger neighbor, given the "intertwined fates" of the two countries, citing the copious amount of Kuwaiti aid that has poured into Baghdad in recent years.
Given the "scope" of bilateral relations, the Kuwaiti PM said it would behoove the two countries to resolve any remaining bones of contention, which will be instrumental in ushering in greater levels of progress in ties.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron called for Iraq to be allowed to choose a path not dictated by foreign powers, in an address Tuesday to the summit aimed at helping to resolve Middle East crises. The "Baghdad II" meeting in Jordan, which alongside regional powers also includes officials from France and the European Union, follows an Aug 2021 summit in Iraq's capital organized at the initiative of Macron.
"There is a way that is not... a form of hegemony, imperialism, a model that would be dictated from outside," Macron told the summit at Sweimeh, a resort on the shores of the Dead Sea. Iraq has been caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies, the United States and Iran, and Baghdad only recently arrived at a fragile compromise government after a year of political stalemate.
It has endured nearly two decades of turmoil since the US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. The Islamic State group seized roughly one third of Iraq and declared a "caliphate" in 2014, before its defeat more than three years later. "Iraq today is the scene of influences, incursions, destabilizations that are linked to the entire region," Macron added.
The summit in neighboring Jordan was aimed at providing "support for the stability, security and prosperity of Iraq", the French presidency had said ahead of the gathering, adding it hoped this would benefit "the entire region". The meeting takes place as several countries in the region are mired in unrest. Syria remains a battleground for competing geopolitical interests, and Lebanon is stuck in an economic and political quagmire.
For over three months, Iran has bloodily suppressed a wave of popular demonstrations sparked by the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman of Kurdish origin. The meeting was also being attended by the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, who has been mediating talks aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Borrell met with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, talks the EU diplomat said were "necessary... amidst deteriorating Iran-EU relations", adding that they agreed to keep communications open.
The summit also brings together Iraq's new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Iran's foreign minister and delegations from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. "This summit has great ambitions but no one expects miracles," says Riad Kahwaji, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis. France's role as a mediator is crucial, Kahwaji said, with Paris "keeping the thread of dialogue on behalf of Westerners with Iran, especially as the Vienna nuclear negotiations are currently in stalemate".
Iran's involvement in the Ukrainian conflict through the supply of drones to Russia further complicates the discussions, Kahwaji said. Ahead of the summit, Iran's Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran was "ready to return to normal relations" with Riyadh "whenever the Saudi side is ready". The conference is also a test for Iraq's Sudani, appointed prime minister in late October after more than a year of political deadlock. Considered closer to Iran than his predecessor, Mustafa Al-Kadhemi, this is Sudani's first major international meeting.
Hamzeh Hadad, a visiting scholar at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes the first summit in 2021 had been intended to allow Kadhemi to show he could "gather neighboring leaders, in particular the Gulf states, in Baghdad". During this meeting, Sudani will have to demonstrate "he can maintain these relations and show that they do not depend on personal ties", Hadad said. The meeting was also expected to address issues such as global warming, food security, water resources and energy cooperation.
Macron also congratulated Qatar and his "friend" Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for hosting the World Cup and COP27. "As we conclude a World Cup that is the first in the Arab world and that was held in Qatar, I congratulate them," he said at the summit.
"I congratulate my friend President Sisi, because Sharm el-Sheikh succeeded in bringing the world together and solving part of the issue of loss and damage which was absolutely key," Macron said, referring to the COP27 climate conference. "The next COP will be held in the United Arab Emirates, which shows how much the region is becoming a diplomatic epicenter," he added. - Agencies
