Less than a week after celebrating its centenary, Iraq succeeded on Saturday in hosting the first major regional conference of its kind on its territories.
The Baghdad Cooperation and Partnership conference witnessed the participation of nine countries, including five neighbors – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran and Turkey. Syria was notably not invited. Three regional countries – Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – were represented, as was France.
Saturday’s event was a significant achievement for Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who managed to organize it in his capacity as head of a transitional government and 45 days before its term is set to end. Iraq is scheduled to hold general elections in October.
Observers were surprised by the attendance of top heads of states to the conference, which they interpreted as a sign that Iraq was consolidating its regional position.
Leaders at the summit underscored the importance of a stable Iraq and the need to support its stability, describing the country as a “guarantee” for regional stability.
During his opening address Kadhimi stressed that his country has confronted major challenges. The hosting of the conference in Baghdad “embodies Iraq’s vision for the need to establish the best relations with the world.”
“We have vowed before our people to restore Iraq’s pioneering role. We have sensed serious international will to support investment in Iraq,” he added.
Moreover, the PM refused for Iraq to be used as an arena for regional and international conflicts or for it to be used as a platform to threaten any side.
Kadhimi stated that the Iraqi people, through international support, defeated the ISIS extremist group and now was the time to breathe new life throughout Iraq.
On the upcoming elections, he said his government had urged the international community to support the polls.
The conference was not without criticism, with Kadhimi’s rivals denouncing the failure to invite Syria even though it neighbors Iraq, while France, a distant European country, was invited instead.
Despite the criticism, several Iraqi leaders, including head of the Hikma movement Ammar al-Hakim, and Sunni and Kurdish officials, underscored the importance of holding the summit at this time.
Independent MP Hussein Arab told Asharq Al-Awsat that the summit “delivers an important message that Iraq has started to play a major role in putting in order its internal issues.” He also highlighted the impact of Iraq’s stability on the region.
“Under this government, Iraq started to play the role of positive mediator in regional disputes,” he went on to say.
This mediator has solutions and managed to bring together rivals at the same table, he added.
“Iraq has become a major player in the region,” he stated.
The Baghdad conference conveyed a message that “we can all sit at the same table for the sake of achieving economic and security goals… Effectively, the conference embodies the principle of partnership and this will positively impact all sides,” he continued.
Media professor at the University of Kufa, Dr. Ghaleb al-Daami told Asharq Al-Awsat: “One major point in Iraq’s favor is that it is practically the only country at the conference that enjoys good ties with all participants.”
“If Iraq succeeded in convincing the participants that it is indeed an independent nation and is seeking partnership with them, then they will all not hesitate in supporting it.”
