Skip to main content

Iraq's prime minister attends Arab summit in Egypt’s New Alamein

Leaders of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain met today in Egypt's New Alamein city to discuss regional security and cooperation.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi attended a summit today in Egypt’s New Alamein city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi attended a summit today in Egypt’s New Alamein city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hosting the leaders of Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Leaders at the two-day summit will discuss mutual relations, economic cooperation and partnership, and regional security and challenges.

“The summit will discuss various issues of interest to the region, including regional security, joint cooperation, consultation on common issues and industrial integration,” the prime minister's media office said in a statement. “The leaders will also discuss energy, investment and climate change.”

Iraq has continued to develop its relationship with Arab countries during the Kadhimi government in the hope of building regional cooperation and partnership, focusing on economy and security.

Baghdad hosted a tripartite summit with the participation of Jordanian King Abdullah and Sisi in June 2021.

Baghdad also organized a broader conference in August 2021 with the participation of Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Qatar and Turkey, aiming to build regional cooperation and partnership.

Iraq attended the Jeddah conference for security and development last July with the participation of US President Joe Biden.

In May of this year, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan entered an industrial partnership for sustainable economic growth with a $10 billion investment fund.

The Arab region is witnessing a new move toward reducing tensions and strengthening cooperation between Arab countries.

Iraq is trying to play a central role in this direction in order to bring stability and security to the country.

Iraq's geopolitical position had turned the country into a battleground for a long time. Therefore, any regional cooperation between Iraq’s neighboring countries will change this situation and provide Iraq with an opportunity to benefit from the economic relationship of these countries.

For that reason, Iraq initiated intermediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Five meetings between Iranian and Saudi national security officials have so far been held in Baghdad.

Also, Iraq proposed to transfer Basra oil from the south to Jordan and Egypt via pipeline, which was raised and supported at the June 2021 tripartite summit.

Also, for the same reason, Iraq signed two agreements with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council for electricity grid connection.

This is while Iraq suffers a hard political deadlock since the October 2021 elections as the two main Shiite groups, the Sadrists and the Coordination Framework, compete over forming a government.

The competition between the two rival groups became confrontational on the streets last month as supporters of the two camps began protesting inside and around the Green Zone, where the majority of government buildings and foreign embassies are located.

Kadhimi called last week for the two groups — among all other political forces — to meet for a national dialogue. This reduced tensions, and the escalation of protests from both sides stopped.

The dialogue is expected to continue into next week.

It is meant to create a roadmap to solve the political crisis via organizing for another early election.

In such circumstances, it is not expected that Iraq’s desire to play a crucial role in regional cooperation and partnership will reach fruitful results.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Security Briefing Security Briefing

Security Briefing

Middle East defense and security in your inbox

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial