Jordan supports Iraq’s security, stability

The working visit of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour to Baghdad, during which he delivered a letter from His Majesty King Abdullah to Iraqi President Fouad Massoum, was mainly a reaffirmation of the Kingdom’s support for Iraq’s endeavour to overcome the difficult situation it is going through.

Discussions, both with the Iraqi president and with its prime minister, Haider Al Abadi, covered a wide range of issues, both bilateral and regional, giving, as Massoum put it, “the support we expected for Iraq under the difficult circumstances”.

The Iraqi president stressed his country’s desire to benefit from Jordan’s expertise in building its security and military bodies, while talks with Abadi addressed the security challenges facing Iraq and ways to increase coordination in confronting terrorist groups.

Islamic State members pose a threat not only to Iraq and Syria, but also to the wider region and farther, and as such, coordination in this field is important.

Other important bilateral issues were tackled, like the activation of the Jordan-Iraqi Free Trade Agreement, the implementation of the proposed plan to get an oil pipeline from Iraq into the Kingdom, and the much talked-about electric grid.

Also important was discussion about resuming the import of Iraqi oil into Jordan, after its interruption in 2013 due to security concerns, quite timely now that the country is said to consider importing oil from Israel, a move that does not sit well with many in the street.

The talks in Baghdad were timely and critical.

The two countries have long-standing ties, face a common enemy and share common objectives. For a long time, Iraq was a major trade partner to the Kingdom.

It has always been a very important country in the Middle East and, hopefully, it will manage to safeguard its territorial integrity and regain its standing in the region.

The new leadership, it is hoped, will follow a political path that sees it introducing an all-inclusive government that should usher in a new era of internal stability and regional security.

A new, democratic, Iraq will certainly contribute to the region’s security and stability, and this is what Jordan wishes to support by all means available to it.