Iraq With the participation of 9 countries, a cooperation conference was launched in Baghdad to discuss economic partnerships and political files

Iraqi President Barham Salih welcomes the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, prior to the start of the conference

An international conference was launched in Baghdad with the participation of 9 countries, mostly from Iraq's regional neighborhood, and Arab and international organizations, and it will discuss economic cooperation and political files of interest to the region.

Iraqi sources said that the Cooperation and Partnership Conference will discuss files related to expanding economic partnerships, fighting terrorism, supporting reconstruction projects in Iraq, and expanding cooperation between it and neighboring countries.

Reports are that the participants in the Cooperation and Partnership Conference will discuss regional issues, including Yemen and Lebanon, and targeting ships in the Gulf, and developments in Afghanistan will impose themselves on the agenda of the conference. 

The Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived today in the Iraqi capital at the head of a delegation to participate in the conference. He was received at the airport by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and then welcomed by Iraqi President Barham Salih at the summit headquarters.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also arrived at the conference venue and held a 15-minute meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, according to Walid Ibrahim, Al Jazeera's Baghdad office manager.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived last night at Baghdad International Airport to participate in the conference, and was received by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and Macron is scheduled to visit the cities of Mosul and Erbil on Sunday.

Iraqi President Barham Salih stressed the importance of supporting his country economically, politically and securityly, as it is a major element in regional balances.

Saleh said - in a press conference with Macron - that France remains an important and supportive partner for his country to complete the war against what he described as terrorism and to ensure stability in the region.

As for the French president, he reiterated France's support for Iraq in facing challenges, especially in the field of combating terrorism, stressing that economic cooperation with Iraq will continue in several fields.

It is scheduled that Saudi Arabia and Iran will participate in the conference with their foreign ministers, and Kuwait and the UAE were also invited, and Jordan's King Abdullah II will also attend the conference, according to the French press agency, which said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also invited to participate.

The Iraqi authorities imposed security measures in Baghdad in preparation for the conference political and economic files

Director of AJ office in Baghdad, Walid Ibrahim, said that the conference will start this afternoon after the completion of the arrival of the leaders and representatives of the participating countries, and it will last for one day.

Ibrahim added that the conference will discuss political and economic files, noting that the political file largely dominates this meeting.

He added that Iraq says that the main objectives of the conference are to achieve economic partnerships with the invited countries, explaining that from a political point of view, there is talk that the participation of countries representing poles of the crisis in the region is a political achievement in itself.

The director of AJ office also said that Baghdad believes that providing the appropriate atmosphere for the leaders and representatives of the participating countries to sit down may be the first step towards resolving crises in the region, and then finding solutions to them in the future, if not during this conference.

The French Press Agency quoted an adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister that the conference does not aim to discuss controversial issues in the region, and that Baghdad is seeking through it to defuse the tension between Tehran and Riyadh.