SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday congratulated the Iraqi government on hosting a “successful and ground-breaking” regional summit in Baghdad.
Iraq held a regional summit on Saturday aimed at reducing tensions in the Middle East, grouping key regional leaders as well as French President Emmanuel Macron who vowed his country would stand firm in Iraq.
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.
“This kind of diplomacy has never been more important as we seek to ease tensions among neighboring states and expand cooperation across the Middle East, and Iraq’s leadership on this is historic,” Biden said in a statement.
He also thanked Macron for his engagement and support for the summit, the statement read.
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.
Biden further said the United States would stand with its partner Iraq as they work together toward greater stability across the Middle East, according to the statement.
“We remain committed to strengthening our bilateral relationship under the Strategic Framework Agreement,” he added.
Referring to his talks with Kadhimi at the White House in June, Biden said they had discussed Iraq’s important role in the region and the significant efforts led by the Iraqi government, including the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), to improve and strengthen the ties between Iraq and its neighbors.
“Diplomacy must be the first tool of our foreign policy, and we are grateful to have partners who share that vision,” Biden stated.
In July, Biden said U.S. combat operations in Iraq would end this year, but that U.S. soldiers would continue to train, advise and support the country’s military in the fight against ISIS.
Washington currently has 2,500 troops deployed to Iraq.
Iraq is seeking to play a “unifying role” to tackle crises shaking the region, sources close to Iraq’s Kadhimi said.
Oil-rich Iraq has been caught for years in a delicate balancing act between its two main allies, Iran and the United States.
Iran exerts major clout in Iraq through allied armed groups within the Hashid al-Shaabi, a powerful state-sponsored paramilitary network.
Baghdad has been brokering talks since April between U.S. ally Riyadh and Tehran on mending ties severed in 2016.
“It was really not easy to put the Saudis and Iranians in the same room,” a French diplomatic source said.
But an adviser to Kadhimi said that just the presence of the two foreign ministers together was itself a “success”.
The French president considers Iraq “essential” to stability in the troubled Middle East, his office said.
The Baghdad conference “will make it possible to lay the framework for cooperation in the fight against terrorism,” Macron said.
