Tripartite meetings between Iraq, Jordan, Egypt to continue

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's foreign minister on Monday met with his Jordanian and Egyptian counterparts in Baghdad where the three countries agreed to hold continuous meetings to improve trilateral relations and resolve challenges, state media reported.

"We discussed with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan the situation in the region and the world...and talked about joint cooperation between the three countries to address challenges," Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said following the meeting, adding that the challenges the countries are facing mainly stem from the war in Ukraine.

Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian foreign minister, announced that Jordan has agreed to supply Iraq with electricity starting next year, and further affirmed his country's support for Iraq to face challenges, saying "Iraq's security is our security."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that his "visit to Iraq is an opportunity to enhance tripartite cooperation" and noted that "the goal of the tripartite agreement is to support Iraq and strengthen Iraq's position in the region and the world."

Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan share strong ties. Last year, a tripartite meeting was held by the countries in Baghdad, during which they discussed cooperation in the fields of security, military, and intelligence.

After the meeting, the three countries said they would strengthen cooperation in the gas and electricity sector, 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.

The three countries agreed on closer economic cooperation in March 2019, when a first summit was held in Cairo.