If we think about it, the recent Jordan-Egypt-Iraq summit, hosted in Baghdad,
might lead to a new reality where everyone can be a winner.
This is especially true since the summit is more about economic viability than
it is about politics; it is about survival in challenging times and giving hope
of a better future to the people of the region after years of war, civil
turbulence, economic crises, and most recently, a crippling pandemic.
اضافة اعلان
We believe that Amman, Baghdad, and Cairo mean business this time, especially since
this is the only way out of the bottleneck.
These years are very similar to post-World War II in Europe. Regional economic
integration, where each partner contributes its best, is our Marshal Plan.
The new alliance is not against anyone, and at some stage, any regional partner
can jump on the wagon and reap the fruits of success. It is a textbook case of what
we can earn when economic interests transcend above any political differences —
exactly like the EU model. The 1957 Treaty of Rome was only initially signed by
Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany, and now
we have a full-fledged union of 27 member states. We need to start somewhere
and tap the potential of every country, reaching a state of synergy that would
lead the region to function at its full capacity.
It goes without saying that when the Baghdad Summit’s communique was drafted,
the political aspect was touched upon very carefully, and related statements were
worded in a very general sense with one message: We agree broadly and support
each other regarding important national issues. Jordan received its partners'
support regarding its custodianship of the holy shrines in East Jerusalem, and
Egypt had the backing of others in its struggle to secure its water rights
vis-à-vis the risks inherent in the building and filling the Ethiopia Dam,
while Iraq heard what it wanted to hear about its efforts to combat terrorism and
introduce economic reforms.
The partners did not ignore other regional threats and agreed on "the need
to activate efforts towards achieving just and comprehensive peace that fulfils
the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," and called for efforts
to restore normalcy to war-torn Syria and Libya.
When the final statement tackled economic integration, the approach changed
into a more detailed presentation, specifying "measures to translate the
strategic relations among the three countries into tangible impact on the
ground." They spoke of increasing the volume of trade exchange and
strengthening joint efforts in the health, industry, and pharmaceutical fields;
taking necessary measures to start building the joint Iraqi-Jordanian economic
estate project; enhancing the electricity interconnection project and
exchanging power among the three countries; linking gas conveyance networks
between Iraq and Egypt via Jordan; and providing an outlet to facilitate Iraqi
oil exports through Jordan by extending the Basra–Aqaba pipeline. ... etc.
The tripartite economic integration that kicked off with the Baghdad Summit can
be the catalyst for peace and prosperity in the region, and that is why it is
very vital to start recording successes on the ground, beginning with the most
doable project to show potential partners that it works.
Then it is a matter of choice for regional leaders to join
the orchestra or play alone.
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