Iraqi President: Iraq maintains openness as a policy
On Monday, Iraqi President Barham Salih affirmed again that his country keeps openness as a policy, which is an approach that he said benefits all fellow states in the region and ensures forging balanced relationships.
Salih was cited what he said during a gathering with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif: A strong, independent and sovereign Iraq is an asset to the entire region, a major stabilizing force and a basis for a system founded upon common security, economy, environment protection and sustainable development plans.
The president also affirmed: The countries of the region face many challenges, and there is a need for coordination and dialogue to overcome differences.
Zarif made on Monday an official visit to Iraq for discussions with Iraqi leaders on bilateral relations and regional developments. The head of a high-level delegation, Iran’s top diplomat arrived in Baghdad while another Iranian delegation is holding nuclear discussions in Vienna. He was welcomed by his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein.
Iraq and its important role
Hussein stated at a joint press conference: Iraq has begun to play an important and vital role in the region to support stability and understanding to establish peace in the region. He also said: We discussed the Iranian-Gulf relationship and Iraq’s role, adding: The region will have the final word, and cooperation between its countries will promote stability.
Zarif continue to say that Iran is backing a strong role for Iraq in stabilizing the region. He also said that Iran would cooperate with Iraq in several areas, like security, politics and economics.
It’s programmed that the Iranian foreign minister will meet with several Iraqi officials, and he would visit the city of Najaf and the Kurdistan Region. In this context, Iraqi think tanks expected that Tehran is looking to back Baghdad’s mediatory role in the region.
On his part, Ihssan al-Shmary, chief of the Center for Political Thinking in Iraq, informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the timing on Zarif’s visit suggests that Iran wants to officially give Iraq the green light to move from being a message conveyer to a successful mediator in the region.
Shmary indicated that authorizing Iraqi mediation certainly helps to resolving several outstanding files, given that Baghdad enjoys ever-growing and strong ties with Arab countries in the region.
