Baghdad opens up to Riyadh while preserving its eastern relations

[size=52]Baghdad opens up to Riyadh while preserving its eastern relations[/size]

[size=45]The "video conference" meeting, in November 2020, between Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was the first way out on the door to bilateral relations that went into a deep sleep 30 years ago, and if we counted the years of friendship and harmony, we would find that they constitute a modest percentage. Very in front of the years of conflict and hostility, since Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in the nineties of the last century.[/size]
[size=45]The meeting between Al-Kazemi and Bin Salman, during which the agenda of the fourth session of the Iraqi-Saudi Coordination Council was reviewed.[/size]
[size=45]The two men issued a joint statement in which they affirmed their determination to "strengthen relations in all fields, in a way that achieves the common interests of the two countries." In mid-February, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein visited Saudi Arabia, while in August 2020 Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan visited Iraq, who met with Al-Kazemi, who was returning at the time from Washington, in an atmosphere that gives a clear impression that Iraq is continuing to promote openness to the world and forging solid partnerships with its Arab surroundings. And the international community.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Kazemi had decided to visit Riyadh on July 20, 2020, his first destination after assuming the presidency of the government last year after the resignation of his predecessor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, but the meeting was postponed due to a health condition that befell King Salman bin Abdulaziz.[/size]
[size=45]Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, the economic advisor to the Iraqi government, points out that “the economic foreign policy of Iraq is based on the principles of good neighborliness with all countries on its borders, especially Saudi Arabia, and work must be done to strengthen economic interests through the common participants between the two countries,” affirming that “economic interests Balanced investment and trade constitute a tool for regional stability and sustainable development in the region.[/size]
[size=45]At a time when Iraq, with its generous land and abundance of water (even in the darkest stages of drought that it has recently witnessed), is the center of agriculture in the eastern Mediterranean region, Saudi Arabia represents an emerging industrial market and an advanced technological force that has gained qualitative progress in production, especially agricultural, and the development of mechanization and its requirements, And by virtue of its strong ties with the industrial world and its taking over time a privileged position in the group of twenty economically strong G20 countries in addition to being a highly consuming and dynamic market, according to Saleh, which means that the potential of agricultural and industrial integration and opening markets between the two countries must be secured over time based on And strengthening the participants in food security, the foundations of modern agriculture and its global marketing methods, and creating a broad environment for the application of agricultural technologies, irrigation systems, advanced agricultural marketing and what follows in terms of strong investments and trade.After 30 years of closure, the Arar crossing between Saudi Arabia and Iraq was opened in November 2020, as a result of the work of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council in its fourth session.[/size]
[size=45]The "Jadidat Arar" port project is located on the Saudi side, and the "Arar" port on the Iraqi side, on a total area of ​​1,666,772 square meters.[/size]
[size=45]Saleh sees the opening of the border crossings as a positive sign to the regularity of economic relations between the two neighboring countries, and the lifting of the isolation imposed on bilateral relations during the past years. The crossing was closed in 1990 during the Iraq-Kuwait war, and it was not officially opened before November 2020, with the exception of the Hajj seasons. The opening of the crossing raised questions about the competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the Iraqi arena, on the political and economic levels. From the economic point of view, it is difficult to weaken Iranian influence in Iraq, according to the researcher in international economic affairs, Aqeel Al-Ansari, because Iran is a major competitor with its goods in the Iraqi consumer markets, and from the principle of free trade and steadfastness for better and cheaper goods, so that the parties compete with prices and quality, for what is in the interest of the consumer. In addition, the transfer of technology and expertise will undoubtedly improve the level of local products that strengthen the Iraqi economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues.[/size]
[size=45]The stressful economic conditions as a result of the sanctions that Iran is going through and is suffering from, have made its role a little eroded, and made its allies that rule Iraq confused about them, after political and economic failure and the emptiness of the treasury, according to Professor of International Relations Mazen Al-Zaidi, who believes that "the fragility that affects the aspects of life Iraq made him eager to search for an Arab role as a savior that would restore stability. Al-Zaidi added, "The Arab game in Iraq may be difficult, long and costly, but it may be the price to be paid for a sin that was left alone for more than three decades. The return of Arabs to Iraq is not a luxury, it is a duty. ”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Ghanimi advises Al-Kazemi to wait in drawing up Iraq's regional policies, until the new US administration’s policy in the region becomes clear, based on two criteria: “The first is the interests of the Iraqi people, and the second is the international variables and one-dimensional dimensions that pose a threat to the country and its international standing.”[/size]
[size=45] About the location of the stairs[/size]
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