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Prior to the summit aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation in the region, officials from all over the Middle East began arriving in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, including improving relations between major rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia.
According to sources close to Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Kadimi, Saturday’s meeting is aimed at giving Iraq a “unifying role” in response to the crisis that has shaken the region.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian went to Iraq to attend the Baghdad summit. His ministry spokesman, Said Khatibzad, announced in a brief statement that he was going to a “meeting in support of Iraq.”
The new President of the Islamic Republic, Ibrahim Raisi, was invited to attend the Baghdad meeting, but it is not clear whether he will attend.
Both Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II said they will attend. French President Emmanuel Macron is also the only one expected to come from outside the region. Officials. The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey were also invited.
Iraq is seeking to become a mediator between Arab countries and Iran. Since April, Baghdad has been negotiating between regional heavyweights Riyadh and Tehran to repair the relationship that was severed in 2016.
Reisi, who took office last week, said he believes there is “no obstacle” to resuming relations with Riyadh. He made improving relations with regional countries one of his priorities.
Regional dominant competitors
Officials said that the meeting will also discuss the Yemen war, Lebanon’s economic collapse, and the regional water crisis, which may be a step towards reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
A French presidential source said that Macron and Kadimi hope to ease regional tensions by promoting dialogue, including security dialogue. “The purpose is to start something here and continue [it] After this meeting,” the source said.
Tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Muslim Iran-the region’s dominant long-term rival-worsened after the 2019 attack on Saudi oil plants caused a brief interruption to half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production.
Riyadh blamed Iran for the attack, and Tehran denied the accusation.
The two countries allied with rival forces fighting in Yemen and severed ties in 2016-even though they resumed direct talks in Iraq in April this year.
Riyadh worries that Washington’s renewed nuclear talks with Iran may lead to the relaxation of US sanctions on Tehran, seeing engagement as a way to contain tensions, while not giving up its security concerns about attacks launched by Iran and its allies.
An official close to Kadimi said: “Even if we gather the foreign ministers of various countries on a table, this can be seen as a breakthrough to end the tension between the Iranians and the Gulf Arabs.”
‘Tactical bilateral downgrade’
A politician close to the prime minister said that Iraq, which hosted a private meeting between Saudi and Iranian officials earlier this year, has received “positive signals” from Tehran and the Gulf countries, indicating that they are ready for more direct discussions.
The International Crisis Organization think tank said in a recent report: “The prospect of regional conflict, coupled with their belief that Washington is unreliable… has prompted Saudi Arabia and the UAE to seek a limited and tactical bilateral easing of the situation with Tehran.”
The Saudi-Iran dialogue started in April when global powers negotiated the resumption of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. Riyadh and its allies opposed the agreement because it did not resolve Tehran’s ballistic missile program and regional agency issues.
Three other regional sources said that it is too early to make a breakthrough, and an Iranian source said that progress may depend on the nuclear negotiations in Vienna. The parties involved in these negotiations have not yet revealed when they will resume.
“We have always welcomed the improvement of relations with countries in the region such as Saudi Arabia. This is the priority of our President Raisi’s foreign policy. Whether this will happen in Iraq…I seriously doubt,” a senior Iranian official said.
Riyadh stated that it wants Iran to provide “verifiable actions.” Earlier this month, the Saudi Foreign Minister stated that the “daring” Iran has taken negative actions in the Middle East, including in Yemen and Lebanon, and in regional waters.
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