SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday welcomed Baghdad Summit attended by regional leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Iraq hosted Baghdad Summit for Cooperation and Partnership on Saturday, aimed at reducing tensions in the Middle East.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II flew in for the summit, also attended by the foreign ministers of regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also took part.
Barzani said in a tweet that the Kurdistan Region appreciated “the initiative of the [Iraqi] prime minister for the conference”.
He also hoped the summit would “produce results that serve stability and peace throughout the region and ensure a leading role for a stable federal Iraq that meets the rights and aspirations of all its components and advances its relations at the regional and international levels.”
Iraq is seeking to play a “unifying role” to tackle crises shaking the region, sources close to Iraq’s Kadhimi said.
“Given the geopolitical events, this conference has taken a special turn,” Macron said at the summit convened by Iraq as it seeks to play the role of regional mediator.
Macron said his country would continue to deploy troops in Iraq to battle terrorism even if the U.S. were to withdraw.
“No matter what choices the Americans make, we will maintain our presence in Iraq to fight against terrorism,” Macron told a news conference in Baghdad.
The meeting comes as Iraq, long a casualty of jihadist militancy, also tries to establish itself as a mediator between Arab countries and Iran.
“We all know that we must not lower our guard, because Daesh [the Islamic State] remains a threat, and I know that the fight against these terrorist groups is a priority of your government,” Macron said earlier after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Iraq and France are “key partners in the war against terrorism”, Kadhimi replied.
