President Abdel Fattah El Sisi travelled to Baghdad on Sunday, a maiden visit by an Egyptian president since the reign of late President Saddam Hussein, ahead of a tripartite summit between Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.
Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, a matter that let Egypt to sever ties and diplomatic relations, but these relations have improved in recent years with many senior officials from both countries exchanging visits.
The three leaders are set to hold a trilateral summit on Sunday in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the fourth round of talks between the three countries to boost cooperation mechanisms.
The summit also is aimed at reinforcing political consultation on means to counter challenges facing the Arab world and the Middle East, Presidency Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radisaid in a statement.
The summit brings President Sisi together with Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
Jordan’s King Abdullah arrived in Baghdad shortly after Sisi and was also received by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimiand Iraqi President Barham Salih.
The first trilateral summit was held in Cairo in March 2019, with the second summit held in New York in September of the same year. The third was held in Amman in August 2020.
The third summits saw an exchange of views between the leaders of the three countries on crucial regional issues and common security challenges, and means to restore stability in the region as well as ways to boost co-operation.
Egypt signed 15 deals and memoranda of understanding in sectors including oil, roads, housing, construction and trade in February after Iraq’s cabinet in December approved renewing its contract to supply EGPC with 12 million barrels of Basra light crude for 2021.
Iraq is also planning to build a pipeline that is meant to export 1 million barrels per day of Iraqi crude from the southern city of Basra to Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
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