William Molinié (in Jordan) with AFP
Emmanuel Macron will leave the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the morning, heading for Jordan where he will join the “Baghdad II” conference, after a first edition in the Iraqi capital in August 2021. On the menu of this conference, which will be chaired by the head of the State, Stability and Security Issues in Iraq.
Jordan is hosting a meeting on Tuesday bringing together France and the main players in the Middle East, including Iran and Saudi Arabia at loggerheads, to try to defuse the worsening crises in the region through dialogue. The “Baghdad II” conference is being held on the shores of the Dead Sea, after a first edition in the Iraqi capital in August 2021 at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraq. “The purpose of such a meeting is to bring neighbors and Iraq’s partners around the table to try to move forward by promoting dialogue”, according to the French presidency.
Jordan, an important economic partner
Emmanuel Macron, who spent the night aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, flagship of the French navy, leaves this Tuesday for Jordan. The Head of State will meet at the beginning of the afternoon with the King of Jordan Abdallah II, an ally in the fight against terrorism in Iraq and Syria. Amman is also an important economic partner with the presence of French companies such as Orange or Veolia. French diplomacy intends to address, in addition to security issues, environmental, food and energy issues. And for this second edition, Iran and Saudi Arabia will be well represented, but we do not yet know at what diplomatic level.
A meeting to “bring support” to Iraq
The only certainty is that the French president will not fail to mention the regional crises. According to the Elysée, the meeting aims to “provide support for the stability, security, prosperity of Iraq and deal with the whole region since Iraq is a pivotal country”. A meeting that comes even as Iran is currently being crossed by a wave of demonstrations and bloody repression.