MoFA spokesperson on Baghdad Summit: strategic oasis for dialogue that serves the collective interest

Shafa News/ Iraq defines strategic avenues that serve the collective interests of the people of the region, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Ahmed al-Sahhaf said on Saturday.

In a press conference at the sidelines of the Baghdad Summit, al-Sahhaf said, "the Baghdad Conference is a strategic oasis for a  dialogue that calls for integration in economy and investment and demonstrates that Iraq is laying the foundations for strategic dialogues of collective interest."

"We have always agreed that collective interests that maintain the stability and prosperity of our people," he said, "the Baghdad Conference came to confirm this view, which implies the clear view of the Iraqi foreign policy."

Several Middle Eastern leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron are meeting in Baghdad on Saturday at a summit hosted by Iraq, which wants its neighbors to talk to each other instead of settling scores on its territory.

Organizers said they did not expect any diplomatic breakthroughs at the summit.

Heads of state attending included President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, King Abdullah of Jordan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Macron. Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates sent their heads of government, and Turkey its foreign minister. Saudi Arabia is being represented by Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.