Iraqi president highlights 'historic' ties with Iran during Davos address
Abdul Latif Rashid discussed Iraq-Iran relations and Iraqi sovereignty at Davos.
Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid attended Davos and highlighted ties to Iranian state media on January 25. The report noted that he made the comments while speaking to Bloomberg.
This took place on “the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Rashid noted that Iraqis and Iranians have lived together for centuries.”
Rashid said that: “Iran is an important and large neighbor to Iraq…Iran cannot be ignored by Iraq, and Iraq cannot be ignored by Iran.” These relatively general comments were picked up by Iranian media because Iran wants to show that Iraq is firmly in the Iranian sphere.
Historic and modern ties
Iran has some key figures that have transformed Iraq in the last decades and maintain a number of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. This is important for Iran because it recently lost Syria as an ally.
The IRNA report in Iranian media that highlighted the Iraqi president’s comments noted: “Both countries have numerous communities, which makes them closely linked, he added. The Iraqi president further said that historically, both countries have exchanged visitors, traded goods, and maintained dialogue.”
Iraq is in a complex position these days and is weighing what comes next. The Iraqi president mostly has a ceremonial role, and the prime minister wields most power in Iraq.
The president “went on to say that his country seeks to establish strong relationships with all of its neighbors while preserving its independence, expressing satisfaction that Baghdad has achieved this goal,” the report said.
“Unfortunately, we still face interference from Turkish troops in the Kurdistan Region,” the president said. “We appeal to the Turkish government to end this interference. This remains a concern in our politics, and we will not allow any foreign interference in our sovereignty. At the same time, we will not permit anyone from within Iraq to attack or undermine other political systems.”
It is important to note the recent Iranian coverage of countries such as Iraq to see where Iran might make its next moves in the region.