BAGHDAD/CAIRO: Egypt, Jordan and Iraq agreed to bolster security and economic cooperation at a tripartite summit Sunday that saw an Egyptian head of state visit Iraq for the first time in three decades.
The visits by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II came as Iraq seeks to move closer to Arab allies of the United States in the Middle East.
In recent years, Iraq had signed cooperation deals in the energy, health and education sectors with both countries.
El-Sisi and Abdullah met Iraqi President Barham Saleh and Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, with Saleh saying the encounter was “an eloquent message amid enormous regional challenges.”
“Iraq’s recovery paves the way to an integrated system for our region built on the fight against extremism, respect for sovereignty and economic partnership,” Saleh said on Twitter.
The summit held between Kadhimi and his guests broached regional issues, as well as ways of bolstering cooperation between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt in the fields of security and intelligence, energy, trade, drug trafficking and cybercrime, according to a joint statement released at the end of the meeting.
“This visit is an important message to our people that we are mutually supportive and unified to serve our people and the people of the region,” Al-Kadhimi said, according to a statement from his office.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a press conference following the meeting that a wide range of topics had been discussed, including economic and political cooperation, large-scale industrial projects, and trade in medicine and agricultural pesticides.
The leaders discussed a “political solution” to Syria’s 10-year civil war based on UN resolutions “that would preserve its security and stability and provide adequate conditions for the return of refugees.”
The Syria conflict has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, with refugee flooding the borders of neighboring countries including Jordan, which lacks in resources and faces economic hardships.
The leaders welcomed efforts underway to restore stability in Libya and Yemen, and called for the departure of foreign forces and mercenaries from Libya.
They called for renewed efforts to reach a “just and comprehensive peace” between Israel and the Palestinians, and for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
They also hailed Egypt’s role in negotiating an end to deadly hostilities between Israel and the Gaza Strip’s Islamist rulers Hamas in May, and Cairo’s pledge to help rebuild the coastal enclave.
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project, which Egypt fears will imperil its water supply, was also discussed with Iraq and Jordan siding with Cairo, he added, and all three countries agreed that a political solution and the return of refugees was needed to end the Syrian crisis, said Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
“The message from the leaders is we stand together in the face of these challenges,” he said.
Kadhimi had set the tone at the start of the summit, saying the three countries would “try to shape a common vision... through cooperation and coordination” regarding Syria, Libya, Yemen and Palestine.
The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that “the leaders stressed the need to intensify consultation and coordination between the three countries on the most important regional issues.”
They also highlighted the importance of re-opening borders to encourage more trade in light of the economic crises brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Iraq must be isolated from regional interventions,” Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters after the meeting, in an apparent reference to Iran’s powerful influence.
El-Sisi is the first Egyptian president to visit Baghdad since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s troops invaded Kuwait in 1990.
Relations between Baghdad and Cairo have improved in recent years, and officials from the two countries have conducted visits.
Kadhimi, El-Sisi and Abdullah held a summit in Amman last year and were due to hold another in Baghdad in April, but this was delayed after a deadly train crash in Egypt.
Egypt signed 15 deals and memoranda of understanding in sectors including oil, roads, housing, construction and trade in February after Iraq’s cabinet in December approved renewing its contract to supply the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) with 12 million barrels of Basra light crude for 2021.
Iraq is also planning to build a pipeline that is meant to export 1 million barrels per day of Iraqi crude from the southern city of Basra to Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
The Jordanian king visited in early 2019 for the first time in 10 years.
Iraqi analyst Ihsan Al-Shamari said that Sunday’s summit was “a message for the United States that Iraq will not only have relations with Iran at the expense of Arab countries.”
Analysts have long said that Iraq is a battleground for influence between arch-foes Washington and Tehran with whom it maintains good relations.
(With AFP, AP and Reuters)
Iraq, Egypt and Jordan hold tripartite summit in Baghdad
https://arab.news/gtyad
Iraq, Egypt and Jordan hold tripartite summit in Baghdad
- Kadhimi said the three countries would 'try to shape a common vision... through cooperation and coordination' regarding Syria, Libya, Yemen and Palestine
- Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam project, which Egypt fears will imperil its water supply, was also discussed with Iraq and Jordan siding with Cairo
Sudan army denies killing civilians in market attack
- At least 270 killed in airstrike in North Darfur amid conflict with paramilitary rivals
“False claims such as this arise whenever our forces exercise their constitutional and legitimate right to engage hostile targets,” military spokesman Nabil Abdallah said. “We abide in our air strikes by the rules of targeting in accordance with international law, and we absolutely cannot target innocent civilians.”
The army has been fighting the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, and both sides have been accused of war crimes. The conflict has killed at least 150,000 people and displaced about 12 million.
The strike in Darfur came days after the army reclaimed the presidential palace in Khartoum in a major victory over the paramilitaries. North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, 40 km south of Tora, is the only regional state capital the Rapid Support Forces have not captured, despite besieging the city for ten months and regularly attacking the displacement camps that surround it.
Turkiye, US want to lift defense industry restrictions after talks, Turkish source says
- Ties between the US and Turkiye have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened
- The two emphasized the importance of stability in Syria and in the Balkans, while discussing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the source added
ANKARA/WASHINGTON: Turkiye and the United States want to remove obstacles to defense industry cooperation, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Wednesday, after talks between the NATO allies’ top diplomats in Washington.
On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan kicked off a two-day visit to Washington, where he was expected to ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other US officials to remove US sanctions on Turkiye and allow it back into a crucial fighter jet program.
The visit comes as Ankara seeks warmer ties with Washington under the administration of President Donald Trump and just days after a phone call between Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that a top Trump aide described as “transformational.”
The top Turkish diplomat’s visit also comes at a critical time for Erdogan, after his main political rival and Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, was jailed pending trial on Sunday, prompting the largest anti-government protests in over a decade.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Turkish foreign minister meets Rubio in Washington
• Turkey wants back into F-35 program, lifting of CAATSA sanctions
• Trump and Turkey's Erdogan had 'transformational' phone call
Ties between the US and Turkiye have drifted away from a strategic partnership in recent years as disagreements between the two long-standing treaty allies have widened.
The administration of former President Joe Biden kept Turkiye at arm’s length over what it saw as the fellow NATO member’s close ties with Russia. Under Trump, who views Moscow much more favorably, Ankara is hoping for a warmer relationship with Washington. It also plans to capitalize on the personal ties between the two leaders.
During the meeting between Fidan and Rubio on Tuesday, both sides “clearly put forth their political will to lift obstacles to cooperation in the defense industry field,” the source said, adding they also followed up on matters discussed between Trump and Erdogan.
“Technical talks will be held for the resolution of existing problems,” the person added, without elaborating.
During his first term, Trump initially ignored advice from his aides to impose sanctions on Turkiye under its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over Ankara’s acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense missile systems in 2019. He then took the step in 2020.
That acquisition also led to Turkiye’s removal from the F-35 jet program, where it was a manufacturer and buyer. Ankara says its removal is unjust and illegal, and has demanded to rejoin or be reimbursed for its investment in the program.
Conversations between the allies on how to resolve the S-400 deadlock were ongoing under Biden. Turkiye had pledged to keep the systems non-operational, a source familiar with the discussions said, but a breakthrough never came.
A Turkish official, requesting anonymity, told Reuters ahead of Fidan’s visit that Ankara was aiming to agree with Washington that keeping the S-400s non-operational can be enough to resolve the matter.
RUSSIA IMPACT
During the Biden era, the allies had settled into a new phase of relations, with a more transactional focus rather than based on shared values, as differences over policies on Syria, the war in Gaza, and judicial matters persisted.
Since coming back into office on January 20, Trump upended Biden’s policy to isolate Moscow and provide unwavering support to Kyiv and instead focused on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. His shift spooked European leaders who feared Washington could be turning its back to Europe and bolstered Ankara’s role as a potential partner in reshaping European security.
The Turkish official said discussions between Washington and Ankara had “taken a new dimension” after Trump’s shift in approach to Moscow.
“If US sanctions on Russia are to be lifted, it becomes illogical for CAATSA to be implemented on third countries. As much as this issue is about Turkiye-USA ties, it is also about Turkiye-Russia ties,” the official added.
Sources familiar with the matter said the phone call between Erdogan and Trump may bring positive momentum to conversations in coming days, though no promises were made.
“The president had a great conversation with Erdogan a couple of days ago. Really transformational, I would describe it,” Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said in an interview with right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson.
Exclusion from the F-35 program pushed Turkiye to purchase 40 Lockheed Martin Block-70 F-16 fighter jets. However, despite agreeing on the procurement, there has been little progress on the acquisition for months.
The Turkish source said Fidan and Rubio also discussed head of state-level visits to be held in the coming period, without elaborating.
The two also emphasized the importance of stability in Syria and in the Balkans, while discussing efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, the source added.
Saudi Arabia condemns Israel attack in Syria that killed civilians
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Wednesday an Israeli attack on Syria that killed civilians.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom reiterates its categorical rejection of the continued attempts of the Israeli occupation authorities to undermine the security and stability of Syria and the region through their blatant and repeated violations of relevant international laws.
Syrian authorities said the attack on the village of Kuwayya killed at least 6 civilians.
The Syrian foreign ministry in a statement condemned “the continued Israeli aggression on Syrian territory, which saw a dangerous escalation in the village of Kuwayya” in the southern Daraa province.
Israel has continued its bombing campaign in Syria even after the ouster of Bashar Assad, whose rule came to an end last year after a swift rebel advance led to him fleeing to Russia.
UAE president discusses Gaza with Donald Trump, reviews recent bilateral agreements
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed reiterates to his US counterpart the UAE’s commitment to a 2-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict
- The leaders also review the outcomes of the official visit to Washington last week by the UAE’s national security adviser
LONDON: The president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, spoke on Tuesday with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, about several Middle Eastern issues including the conflict in Gaza.
During their telephone conversation, Sheikh Mohammed reiterated the UAE’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the foundation for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the region.
He also addressed the ongoing efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire agreement in Gaza and maintain regional stability, and emphasized the need for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people in the Palestinian territory, the Emirates News Agency reported.
The leaders also reviewed the outcomes of an official visit to Washington last week by the UAE’s national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Significant agreements between the two nations were reached during his trip in areas including artificial intelligence, advanced technology, infrastructure and energy.
Sheikh Mohammed and Trump reiterated their shared commitment to the enhancement of strategic cooperation for mutual benefit, the news agency added.
100,000 Palestinians perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque
- Ramadan set to conclude at the weekend
LONDON: Around 100,000 Palestinians performed the evening and Taraweeh prayers on the 25th day of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Tuesday, despite Israeli restrictions.
Ramadan, a month of fasting and worship for Muslims from sunrise to sunset, is set to conclude at the weekend. The last 10 days of the holy month are a time when some Muslims dedicate themselves to worship.
The Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is responsible for administering the site, said that most of the 100,000 worshippers were residents of Jerusalem and Palestinian citizens of Israel.
However, thousands of Palestinians from various cities and towns in the occupied West Bank were prevented from entering Jerusalem due to Israeli military checkpoints. Restrictive measures have been implemented by Israel since the start of Ramadan and age and security screenings have played a part in determining whether access to the city is allowed.
Upon the conclusion of Ramadan on Saturday or Sunday, majority-Muslim countries celebrate the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr over three days, marking the festivities of breaking the fast with family visits and trips.
