The Iraqi government sponsored a regional conference in Baghdad yesterday entitled the Conference for Cooperation and Partnership which included high-level participation from nine other countries, among them French President Emmanuel Macron and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran. According to the joint communiqué released by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the participants discussed the principles of “good neighborliness” and “national sovereignty” and asserted “joint cooperation” and “mutual interest” to cope with common challenges.
“The participants of Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership have met on the 28th of August 2021, at the leadership level to show their support for Iraq and discuss challenges, common issues and future prospects,” the communiqué said. In turn, “Iraq appreciated the coordinating role played by the French Republic in holding and attending this conference with an active participation.”
“The participants acknowledged that the region faces common challenges that require the countries of the region to deal with them on the basis of joint cooperation and mutual interests in accordance with the principles of good neighborliness, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, and respect of national sovereignty,” the communiqué said further.
The spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed al-Sahhaf told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that “the Baghdad Conference is a strategic oasis for a dialogue that calls for integration in economy and investment and demonstrates that Iraq is laying the foundations for strategic dialogues of collective interest.”
According to AP, others attending the meeting included Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates sent their heads of government, and Turkey sent Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Saudi Arabia was represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Iran with its new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. It’s not clear, however, if Farhan and Amir-Abdollahian met during the conference. Asked whether they did, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hassan demurred, saying that numerous bilateral meetings took place but not mentioning specifics. One such meeting, says AP, was between Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, U.A.E. Prime Minister, and the Amir-Abdollahian.
