President Sisi affirms Egypt's backing to Iraq on all levels

BY

-

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 - 02:56 GMT

BY

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 - 02:56 GMT

An aerial view of Baghdad January 4, 2008. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud

An aerial view of Baghdad January 4, 2008. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud

CAIRO – 11 October 2020: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi affirmed to Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fouad Hussein Egypt's fundamentals in dealing with Iraq, and that those are embodied in reinforcing its pan-Arab role, backing its interests on all levels, and supporting it to overcome challenges, combat terrorism, and preserve its security and stability.

 

On his side, the ambassador delivered a message from Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafa al-Kazemy. The prime minister praised the historical ties between both countries, and affirmed his country's appreciation for Egypt's efforts to back Iraq in all realms.   

 

Kazemy expressed aspiration that cooperation with Egypt gets boosted whether on a bilateral scale or within the Trilateral Cooperation Framework with Jordan. He added that his country would benefit from Egypt's inspiring experience in terms of developmental projects, infrastructure, and electricity.

 

The minister told President Sisi that Egypt composes a strategic depth for Iraq on Arab, African, and global scales, and that both countries face the same challenges, mainly counterterrorism, and achieving security, peace, and stability.

 

The president and the minister exchanged views on certain Arab and regional affairs of mutual interest, and agreed to intensify coordination when handling regional challenges.

 

The Iraqi minister also met with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shokry as they conferred over areas of cooperation on both the political and economic scales.

 

"We understand the challenges facing Iraq, and we are ready to cooperate with the Iraqi government in order to preserve the sovereignty of Iraq and its territories as well as inhibit foreign intervention in its internal affairs," Minister Shokry stated in a press conference held Monday.

 

On October 11, Egypt welcomed on an agreement reached on the administration of the "Sinjar" district in Ninewa, northern Iraq, between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan region government on October 10. 

 

The city of Singar, where the Yazidis were living, was captured by the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS) in 2014, killing hundreds of people and raping women and girls, besides displacing hundred thousand of people.

 

Spokesperson of the Iraqi government Ahmed Mulla Talal said in a tweet that the new agreement ends the power of “intruder groups, and paves the way for the reconstruction of the city and the return of its entire afflicted people.”

 

In September, Egypt's cabinet issued a statement indicating that Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq will establish an electricity linkage and an oil pipeline capitalizing on the outcomes of Egyptian-Jordanian-Iraqi summit that had convened in Amman in August.

 

“It has been proposed to implement it [the project] with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, to support the exchange of electrical power and take advantage of the different peak times in these countries,” the statement indicated.

 

 

“The summit focused on ways to enhance joint trilateral cooperation in various fields between the three countries, notably those pertinent to energy, electricity interconnection, infrastructure and food. It also tackled consultations and coordination on the latest political and security situations in the region and efforts to combat terrorism,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

 

A tripartite meeting for the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq would convene on Tuesday in Cairo, reported Iraqi newspaper Al-Sabaah on Sunday.

 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his Jordanian and Iraqi counterparts, Ayman Safadi and Fouad Hussein, respectively, would discuss ways of completing the agreements signed by the leaders of the three countries in Amman last August.

 

The Iraqi delegation will also meet with Egyptian officials in order to discuss of holding the joint Iraqi-Egyptian committee headed by the prime ministers of the two countries in Baghdad soon, the newspaper reported.

 

The Iraqi delegation will also meet Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit to tackle the latest developments in the region.

 

In July, Egypt sent Iraq urgent medical aid, to back the latter’s efforts to face the novel coronavirus.

Comments

0

Leave a Comment

Be Social