A meeting between the foreign ministers of Iraq, Egypt and Jordan was held in Baghdad on Sunday to discuss political, security, technical and economic cooperation, in addition to the tension between Washington and Tehran in the region.
Observers said the talks complement the tripartite summit held in Cairo last March between Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II and Prime Minister of Iraq Adil Abdul Mahdi.
Dhafer al-Ani, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sunday’s “meeting is an extension of the Cairo summit.”
“Most discussions held between the three ministers focused on joint economic interests, terrorism and tension in the Gulf,” he said.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said the meeting resulted in an agreement between the foreign ministers on Arab solidarity to contribute to development and prosperity.
During the meeting, the three ministers also agreed to support Iraq's efforts to eliminate the remnants of ISIS and to ensure the return of the displaced and support Iraq in the reconstruction of areas liberated from the terrorist organization.
Egypt, Iraq and Jordan agreed to diversify partnerships and carry out economic coordination to achieve development of joint industrial zones, and workshops for businessmen and investors to learn about investment opportunities, according to their statement.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim said his country backs truce and not escalation in the tension between Iran and the United States, adding that Sunday’s meeting discussed the Palestinian and the Syrian crises.
For his part, the Jordanian FM, Ayman Safadi, said the three ministers discussed the crisis in the region, indicating that their agreement lied in reducing the escalation in the Gulf.
“Arab security is coherent and any crisis affects the security of all,” he said.
Egypt’s Sameh Shukri said the tripartite talks discussed the establishment of periodic mechanisms for joint political and economic meetings.
