ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The tripartite summit between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt held in Baghdad on Sunday will pave the way for cooperation in the fields of security, military and intelligence, an advisor to the Iraqi prime minister said.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi "worked through the tripartite summit to consolidate the concept of a comprehensive joint regional security to face challenges” in the areas of military, political, health, economic and cultural security, advisor Hussein Allawi told Iraqi state media (INA) on Sunday.
"As for military and intelligence measures and building the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces, intelligence cooperation between the three countries will increase, in addition to exchanging experiences and information in the intelligence sector," he added.
Iraqi president Barham Salih welcomed the President of Egypt, Abdel-Fatteh al-Sisi, and King Abdullah II of Jordan in Baghdad, where they held a meeting with Kadhimi one year after the three met in Amman.
Allawi added that the PM “will focus on the outcomes of the tripartite summit to build the Iraqi state and enhance its effectiveness and external interaction through joint cooperation with Jordan and Egypt to enhance the effective partnership between the three countries."
The three leaders issued a joint statement after the meeting, which comprised of 28 points that discussed the outcome of the summit.
The three countries will strengthen gas and electricity transmission between each other, with Iraqi oil to be exported to Egypt and Jordan through the Arab Gas Line and a crude oil line linking Basra to the Jordanian city of Aqaba, it added.
Travel will also be facilitated between Baghdad, Cairo and Amman, with investment and business partnerships to be encouraged.
Further cooperation in the field of agriculture is also needed, they concluded.
The visit “is an important and major step in supporting Iraq and strengthening joint bilateral relations,” Salih's office said in a statement published to Telegram.
Under former Iraqi PM Adil Abdul Mahdi, Iraq placed emphasis on cooperation and improved relations with neighbouring countries - including Egypt and Jordan.
Iraq and Jordan signed an agreement in February 2019 through which Iraq would lift tariffs on Jordanian products, while Jordan would buy 10,000 barrels of oil per day from Iraq.
Iraq, Jordan and Egypt agreed on closer economic cooperation in March 2019, when a first summit was held in Cairo.
The Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research signed a three-year deal with Egypt to strengthen collaboration between universities in both countries back in November, a month after a series of agreements was signed between both countries.
